Heart of Youkai
by DarkMignonette
Summary: Youkai preyed on human beings in a time when there were no barriers to separate the races. Hiei's out for blood, Yusuke's out for a good fight, and everyone's fate rests on the relationship between a human girl and a demon. AU // Yusuke x Keiko
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Do not own any of it, really. Promise. If I did, do you think I'd be writing this? XD**

Hey all. My first Yu Yu Hakusho AU, and I'm kind of pleased with it so far. Mainly inspired by the Chapter Black Saga, and the idea just wouldn't go away. I have high hopes for this, and writing YYH fiction is really fun, so I'll try an update frequently. Yusuke/Keiko pairing for sure, but others may be hinted at.

Enjoy!

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**Prologue**

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He raced through the underbrush as hot, angry tears poured down his face.

He didn't see the blur of trees as they passed by around him, nor the startled faces of the native youkai. He only felt the sting of hatred in his chest -- rage at _them_, who took her away, and at himself, for letting it happen.

He blended naturally into the blackness of the forest with his dark clothing and hair, making him just another shadow under the moon's watch. His crimson eyes shined eerily like a beacon, focused on the path in front of him, seeing but not truly looking -- his mind moving as fast as his body.

They had traveled together for two years on their own; the Kōrime abandoning him for dead because he was a walking taboo, something to be ashamed of -- yet she left with him. She never had to come, he never forced or even wanted her to. But she was stubborn, saying they only had each other now, so they had to stick together. Which he thought was stupid, because they wanted her to remain in the village, there was nothing wrong with her, she was a typical ice maiden -- while he was a freak of nature.

Yet the life they knew before was long gone. She cared about him, and wouldn't let anything happen. She wouldn't let him be lonely. And when the day came for him to disappear from their snow covered village, she followed quietly behind.

It was a mistake. It was fine at first, they managed to scrape by overtime; him fighting, stealing necessities and growing stronger, and her, the healer and companion.

Then the humans came.

He had no idea how they found them -- if they'd be tracking them or what, but he'd been a fool not to notice beforehand. He had only left her for about an hour, but when he returned it was too late. The bastards had gagged her and tied her up with a kind of rope that burned the skin of ice youkai. Her screams were muffled, face contorted in pain. Fat tears cascaded down her cheeks, hitting the ground as sparking blue pearls. The human filth dove for the jewels, tripping over each other in greed.

_ENOUGH!_ He pulled out a concealed blade, slashing at them with such ferocity that his vision went red. They yelled like gut-hanging dogs as he took them down, until there was only three left. Humans were frail, weak, and easy to kill.

He hated to murder them in front of her, her innocent mind tainted, blood splashed on her kimono.

Yet he'd lost; he dove to her, to free her of the burning touch of the ropes, only to be jerked back by a large claw.

He had no idea that youkai would take the side of humans. It never crossed his mind -- they chased the humans, fought them, some even ate them, but never worked with them. To torture other their own kind no less. His attacker was a large, ogre looking beast holding a spiked club over his shoulder.

He didn't feel any fear, he didn't back down to the enemy. He fought and fought for all he was worth, his palms sore from gripping the blade, feeling liquid trickle down his arms. At one point the club smashed into his body, knocking the wind out of him, yet he stood back up. The cries of his sister kept him going. _"Hiei!"_

But it hadn't been enough. Too many came at him, too many weapons all at once. Damn ogre looking beasts, out for their own fortune, just like the humans. Finally he was struck down, and stayed down. His entire left side when numb, black spots in his vision.

He reached out and grabbed his sisters hand. His head was spinning, and he knew he would pass out soon, but he could still see her; her long sea green hair tangled in the dirt, anguished expression on her face. They were yanked apart, her hand sliding out of his own as she screamed his name.

He blacked out, his body aching and dull.

Now days later, after he'd woken up in a haze of pain and confusion, he was searching for her. But they'd covered their trackers cleverly. No trace or hint that they'd even been there at all. And even if he was able to find them, what would he do? He'd get her back, that's what, even if he'd have to sacrifice his life for it. He expected a stronghold of men and youkai alike, but he was not afraid.

Hiei would have his vengeance; the anger rolled off him in waves as he moved silently through the forest, daring anything to get in his way. He swore that he would have his revenge on the humans, all humans, for doing this. Those bastards had a death wish, and he yearned for the day when he would fulfill it.

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The sun set in the dark maroon sky, shining harshly and casting fading light across the ground. Shadows danced along the flat lands, rolling up towards the brown mountains in the distance.

There were no other living beings around, they had all run into their village homes, hiding from the oncoming darkness. The falling sun was their cue to retire to safety, or at least the closest thing to it. The predators were worse at night, stealing humans who were blind and defenseless in the dark. Fear drove them back into the arms of their family, their home walls an illusion of comfort.

A figure of a little girl stood alone against the foreboding atmosphere. She watched the sun set behind the mountains with anxiety, worry etched upon her delicate face. She wiped her wet cheek with her blue kimono sleeve, hand trembling. She hadn't meant to wander so far from her village, she only wanted to find her friend who went missing days ago. But if she didn't get back, she'd probably disappear too.

Her parents told her to never ever play past the decayed tree at the end of the village. Children who disobeyed that rule usually did not come back. She was a sensible six year old, she knew the consequences, but this time was different; her friend was gone and she had to look for her, because nobody else would. So she braved the forbidden boundary, trotting past that last warning marker.

But she'd never been past it before, and she found herself wandering in unfamiliar territory.

Now what?

She bit her lip, the wind blowing around her chestnut brown hair. She really was done for, she had no idea how to get back. She thought about her family and friends who she would miss, thought about her little house in the village, and tears began flowing down her face. Her vision clouded, and the image of the rocky Makai blurred into a scene of color, as red and rusty as blood.

The girl wiped at her eyes again, then blinked. Was she imagining things? There, several yards in front of her, heading her way, was a figure of a person. Maybe. Or a monster.

Her heart rate sky rocketed, and she froze, mind in a panic. What if they came to eat her? Where would she run? There was no where to hide! But she tried to calm herself, quiet her trembling body and stand there; maybe they could help. She doubted it, but what else could she do?

The girl waited, watching, each passing second adding to her nervousness. She squinted.

They looked..short..but she couldn't see any horns or weird things like that. It came toward her at a steady pace.

Finally, and what seemed like an eternity, the figure stopped in front of her. She instantly regretted feeling so afraid.

It was only a little boy, around her age. He had on no shirt, just ratty green pants caked with mud. His face was round and bruised, matted black hair hanging in his face, covering big brown eyes. He looked at her with mild surprise, an eyebrow raised in question.

She smiled as relief washed over her. She wouldn't be attacked, and she wasn't alone now. Yet she couldn't help wondering why he was out here -- was he lost too? Her friendly nature kicked in, and she rolled up her long, bothersome kimono sleeve, extending her hand. "Hi, my names Keiko. What's yours?"

The boy hesitated, flicking his gaze to her hand, then her face, then back to her hand again. He hunched his shoulders. "It's okay." she reassured him. "I don't bite, promise!"

He looked at her funny, like she was some kind of alien, but slowly grasped her hand anyway. His palm was rough, dirty, though his grip gentle. She smiled. "Who are you?" she asked.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, swinging his gaze away, as if he hadn't heard her. He seemed kinda bashful to Keiko, reminding her of some of the shy kids in her village. But she'd never seen him there, never seen him before in her life. He wasn't from her home, that she was sure of. He was a real stranger -- not that it mattered, strangers could sometimes end up as friends.

"My name's Yusuke." He mumbled, so low she almost missed it.

Her smile grew. "Yusuke? That's a nice name."

Yusuke stared at her in surprise, and his eyes widened a little bit; she noticed they were a really pretty shade of brown, like the bark of a cherry tree. "You think so?"

Keiko nodded with enthusiasm, pigtails swinging around her face. "Uh-huh!"

"Yours is cool too.." He said, grumbling again. She thought he must not talk to other people much, always whispering like that. "Thanks!" she said. At least he was nice. Keiko was glad she wasn't alone out here anymore. Maybe he could help..."Um..do you know how to get back..?"

He cocked his head to the side, not sure what she was talking about. "Back where?"

"Back to the closest village." She pointed behind her. "I was trying to find my friend but I got lost, 'an it's really scary out here, and I need to go home, my daddy and mommy will be sad. Are you lost too? 'Cause if you are you can come with me. I won't leave you out here--"

Yusuke frowned. "No...I'm not lost, but I can show you the way, I guess."

"You will?" She asked hopefully, peering at him with big puppy eyes.

"Yeah." He shrugged, still not looking at her. "It's easy, there's only one village around here, you know."

A stifling weight was lifted off her shoulders, and Keiko felt like crying in relief. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve again to keep any tears from flowing. The gods must have been helping her today! She wasn't going to disappear after all! "Thank you Yusuke-kun!!"

Yusuke said nothing in response, now eying her warily -- he was not sure how to react to the emotional girl in front of him. Keiko's face changed from happy to sad and everything in between, and he couldn't figure out whether he'd helped or made things worse for her. Girls were so weird.

He trotted past her, which Keiko took as a cue to follow. Yusuke stayed a couple paces ahead, keenly watching the surroundings; he was wary, the sun was almost down. Keiko however was blissfully unaware of possible dangers, and nearly exhausted; her feet and legs were sore from all this traveling, her nerves were shot, and she didn't know how much farther they had to go. But she didn't let out a single complaint.

After ten more minutes of jogging across the barren landscape, the children stopped their journey, right as the sun sank down through the mountains. Keiko's tired body perked up. She hadn't been paying much attention to where they walked, as everything looked the same; rocks, dirt, and sand all around. But finally, after what seemed like ages, in front of her stood that eerie, rotten tree that rested at the edge of her home. They'd made it back at last.

Keiko, so caught up in her relief, turned and hugged her savior; Yusuke instantly went rigid, a look of panic on his face. Keiko sensed his uneasiness and let go, but grinned. She bowed several times, thanking him.

A smile finally spread across the boy's face as he watched Keiko nod her head over and over again, overdoing the politeness by a long shot. Nobody had ever bowed to him, let alone fifty times. "You can stop now, geez."

She looked sheepish, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. "Um, sorry."

A strong wind drifted by, cooling their tired limbs and lifting the heavy heat off their backs. Neither of them said anything for a moment. Then Yusuke turned around, the lights from the village behind him, and the looming darkness before him. "So..see you around, I guess."

"Will I see you again, Yusuke-kun?"

He stopped. The girl wanted to be friends? Stupid. Nobody wanted to be friends with him. Maybe she was playing a trick. Yeah, that was probably it. He looked at her over his shoulder. Dirt stained her cheeks and hair, her kimono torn at the edges, making her look like a doll that had been thrown away -- the result of being lost three hours out in Makai wilderness. Still those naive eyes went on smiling, without a hint of malice or cruelty.

"Yeah."

Keiko bounced happily, and Yusuke just looked at her, shaking his head. "You're a crazy girl." He told her, grinning. But she was nice, too.

And as he walked back into the shadows, the weight pressing over his shoulders felt lighter. He would visit and talk to her again sometime. He had a feeling she wasn't lying, or trying to deceive him.

Keiko waved until he gone from sight -- a melancholy feeling in her chest, because she had another friend disappear into that gloomy darkness. His lonely figure drifted into that unknown region facing dangers on his way home. But she shouldn't be sad, she reminded herself, she'd see Yusuke-kun again!

She ran down into her village, a gust of wind ruffling her hair. Her parents would be so worried, but she'd tell them all about her adventure and her new friend. She hoped to bring Yusuke to meet them, next time they played together.

But that chance never came -- she never saw him again after that. Keiko's rescuer became lost in her memories.

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An' that's the prologue. The tone will probably lighten up in the next chapter. :3

I know Hiei doesn't cry. He's never cried in the series, not to my knowledge anyway. In here, he cries because he's younger; still basically a child. But he doesn't really act like a kid, and he sounds like he's older. I did this because I don't see him being naive at all, even when he should be. He was kicked off his home and had to face hardship from the beginning, so he's more mature than little Keiko, for instance (plus Keiko is human.)

And yesh, the siblings know that they're siblings. Needed motivation for Hiei, among other things. xD

Hope you liked it, and please tell me what you think. Thanks for reading!


	2. Cries of the Unknown

Chapter one finally(or two, if you count the Prologue :3). Sorry it took so long, and thanks to those who reviewed! I've finally got the little quirks and the plot completely planned out so the chapters should be coming a bit faster now. Sorry this is so long, but there's alot of things that need to be set up for AU's. ;P

Enjoy!

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Chapter One - Cries of the Unknown

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"Botan, wait, where're we going?"

"Oh don't be so loud Keiko or we'll get caught! I just need to show you something."

Keiko did not like where this was going. It wasn't safe for them to be out so far from home, even this early in the day. She trusted her friend, it was the local youkai that she was uneasy with.

Botan knew what she was doing though; she was very air-headed at times, but could also be resourceful when the time called for it. Keiko swore that the girl had at least one demon relative or some other supernatural being in her bloodline, because normal humans didn't have light blue hair or eyes the color of pink roses.

She gave Keiko a light tug on her wrist as they hid themselves in the thick undergrowth. Grass pricked at her stomach and legs. "What am I supposed to be looking at?" Keiko asked. All she could make out were endless rows of dense trees and bushes.

"You don't see it?"

"Um, no?"

"I think that's 'cause you're in the wrong spot. Look over here."

She scooted closer, peering through the weeds and trying not to completely squish Botan. After brushing a few sticks and leaves out of her way, she could see the outline of a large fortress looming in the distance, about a mile or so downhill. It appeared to be made of stone, and covered in vines and overgrown trees, making it mostly hidden. If Botan hadn't pointed it out then she never would have noticed it there at all.

"What is it?"

"I dunno, but it sure is eerie..."

Keiko nodded, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. "How did you even find it? Don't tell me you went sneaking around down there because you were curious."

"Of course not!" Botan held up her hands in defense, grinning like a guilty cat. "I'm not that crazy, sheesh." Actually she'd found it after getting lost in the woods a while back, but Keiko didn't have to hear that.

Keiko gave her a look. She knew her friend better than that; she remembered being dragged along Botan's little 'adventures' back when they were kids. Like the time they explored what was thought to be a large fox den -- when it was actually the home of a rather grumpy raccoon youkai. She still had nightmares about that incident sometimes.

"For the past few weeks I've been hearing strange noises coming from down there." Botan said, nodding her head towards the fortress.

"Like what kinds of noises?" It could have been anything; youkai made all kinds of sounds; howls and shrieks echoing in the dead of night, like a chorus of weeping banshees. They gave the local humans chills, like the ones that were creeping along Keiko's skin now. They really shouldn't be out here alone.

"It's hard to tell, you know, but..I think it was a girl screaming."

"Youkai scream all the time Botan."

"Yeah I know, but this sounds just like one of us. Exactly like a human, I'm not kidding. It's really unnerving." Botan's eyes misted over just from thinking about it.

Keiko frowned. "Has anyone in the village went missing?"

"I don't think so."

They gazed at the castle for a moment, grim thoughts settling over their heads. If no one was missing from home, then who could the girl be? Probably not a wise idea to find out.

"We need to do something about it." Keiko murmured suddenly. "But how can we? It's too dangerous. We don't know who it is, and we don't know if they're even human or not. I mean.."

"Yeah." Botan sighed. "But I can't imagine what they're doing to the poor girl for her to be screaming like that..what if that was you or me down there?"

"We'd wish someone would come save us."

"Bingo."

Keiko narrowed her eyes and glared downhill. She hated the thought of letting someone waste away behind those foreboding walls, but two human girls could barely rescue the women from an unknown number of hostile demons, which no doubt lurked just beyond the trees.

"Lets go home and talk to Shuichi about it. Maybe he knows something." Keiko said, rustling leaves as she sat up from a laying position. "And besides, I'm ready to get out of here before a spider crawls up my kimono."

They trekked back to their village, tip-toeing under the forest and ducking behind large boulders, not saying a word to one another; dreaming of what life would be like if taking a walk didn't have a risk of death.

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Yusuke wondered how someone so short could be so intimidating.

It was kind of funny really. He was at least two and a half feet taller then the fire demon, but Hiei stood with such an air of power and angry impatience that it sent even giant youkai running for cover. Yusuke was pretty darn scary himself, but for some reason he didn't shake people up as much as his friend, er, ally did.

"What'cha need Hiei?" Yusuke pipqued casually.

Hiei's glares were like the look of an alpha wolf; intense, brooding, and sometimes malevolent. But now he regarded Yusuke with a quiet seriousness."Why haven't you informed me about last night's raid? If your usefulness runs out I won't hesitate in kicking your ass out of here and our deal will be nul-in void."

Yusuke waved the threat away. "I think you've got that bandanna wrapped around your head too tight, you need to relax, geez. I'll have you know we found nothing interesting, just a bunch of defenseless humans, the usual. I didn't bother telling you 'cause I didn't think it was important."

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "Well, it is, so don't forget next time, idiot."

Yusuke resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at him. The whole reason he left was to travel with the demon and get away from people constantly telling him what do to; but here he was, getting bossed around again like a dog.

But at least here he was getting bitched at by different kind of youkai, not his drunk of a mother or the group of know-it-all Mazoku that he dealt with back home.

"Hey, where're we off to tomorrow?" Yusuke asked, absentmindedly running a hand through his mass of black hair.

Hiei ignored him as he got out his katana and examined a nick on the blade's edge."To the west." he answered after a moment.

"What's out west?"

"I don't know. But we've checked everywhere else in this region, that's the only place left. She's got to be there."

Yusuke raised his eyebrows. "Yeah..about that..who is this chick anyway? We've been searching for her for months, but you have yet to tell me who the hell she is." She had to be something special, because mystery girl was the only person Hiei seemed to care about, while everyone else could just jump off a cliff. But what did he know? He'd traveled with the guy for almost a year now, but he still knew relatively nothing about him. Hiei was one complicated little sociopath.

"None of your business."

"Eh, whatever." Yusuke grumbled, leaning back against the wall. He should have expected that answer, but it was worth the try. In the end he would find out about her whenever they found her, so it was inevitable.

After a minute of silence Hiei looked up from his katana, gazing ahead at nothing; his lips turning upwards into a slight smile. "I can't wait to slice them into mere ribbons, and then burn the remains down to the ground. There won't be a single thing left when I get ahold of those fools."

..O-kay..Yusuke laughed nervously. Thus ended sharing time with Hiei, he was better off if he _didn't_ ask about his issues. "You know I'm glad you don't talk much. I don't even wanna know what goes through your head half the time."

The fire demon didn't utter a word in response, only continued to scowl at the wall as his eyes grew distant.

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"Shuichi-san!"

Hearing his name called, the redhead turned around to see two familiar figures jogging towards him from the woods; one had a bouncing blue ponytail, the other wearing an indigo colored kimono. "What on earth were you two doing out there?"

They ran up and stopped in front of him, panting as if they'd just sprinted for miles. Botan rested her hands on her knees. "Oh..I had to show Keiko what I found the other day, no big deal."

Shuichi Minamino regarded them with a cool look, waves of crimson locks framing his delicate face. His features were borderline androgynous, yet he had a startling look of beauty in his expression, which now seemed displeased with the nervous girls. "I really don't think it's wise for either of you to be out there, though. It's not such a good idea."

Keiko nodded. "Yeah, but-"

"Did you know there was a castle down there?" Botan perked, side-stepping his comment.

"Where?"

"That way" she pointed behind her, "Down the big hill at the edge of the forest. It gives me the creeps, let me tell you. But I didn't think Keiko would believe me so I had to show her."

"Hey! I would have so believed you, and it would've saved us a trip-"

Shuichi thought for a moment. "That's not good. It's a demon lair most likely, I didn't think there was one around here. We need to let everyone know and tell them to keep their guard up, just in case."

Keiko bit her lip. So nobody had gone missing, otherwise he would know. Shuichi's cleverness and knowledge on youkai had saved their home dozens of times, and the villagers were thankful for it.

"I think it's too late for that." Botan frowned, telling him about the noises she'd heard coming from the forest.

"Is there anything we can do?" Keiko asked.

Those girls worried about everyone but themselves. The redhead sighed, a smile grazing his lips. "It's starting to get dark out, lets go inside first."

They passed the modest wooden houses that were tightly packed together in some areas. Even if the their village was mildly poor, as most were, the people made the best of it -- and the bright, newly planted flowers in the gardens reflected that.

Keiko and Botan strolled into their small home with Shuichi trailing behind them. The two girls sat down on their individual futons as he slid the door and windows shut, just as the last light of day faded into the distance.

Shuichi glanced at his mother, who was currently sleeping in the corner of the room. Shiori worked hard during the day and was part of the reason they even had a place to live. Affection swelled in his heart at the thought of her; she was the kindest person he had ever known.

Keiko twirled her brown hair around her finger, keeping her eyes everywhere but looking towards the windows, trying to keep her thoughts away from the oncoming darkness. The sun was not their protection, but it was a vision of hope. Nothing was fair..she only wanted to live in peace.

"So.." Shuichi whispered, sitting down under the window, "What's this business about doing something about the screaming?"

"Me and Botan were thinking about trying to get her out of there."

He raised an eyebrow. "How? No offense, but there isn't much you can do. Keiko-san, you can pack a punch, but-"

"And I've got an oar!" Botan grinned.

"Yes well, neither of those things do much against demons."

"Actually," Keiko argued, "I was thinking..if we got enough people to go storm the place, then that should do some damage. I mean, we don't even know if demons actually live there or not. If it's abunch of rich humans, then.."

"There isn't such a thing as rich humans these days.." Botan grumbled. "But, I agree with Keiko, I think it's an excellent idea! Lets start a riot and rescue that poor girl."

"I don't know of many who would want to risk their life for someone they don't know, and in such a foggy situation, it's pretty unrealistic." Shuichi pointed out.

"Kuwabara would help us." Keiko said, "his honor code wouldn't allow anything else."

Botan giggled. "Ohhh, so you're saying we take advantage of poor Kuwabara's chivalry?"

"No! No, I didn't mean it like that. It's just, y'know, he'd help us. That's one person guaranteed."

"A few of us against how many?" Shuichi asked, tapping a finger against his cheek. He hated to rain on their rescue parade, but he did not want to see either of them injured, or worse. The death of Keiko's parents left her and Botan without any protection, so he felt compelled to step in and help out; needless to say, he'd become fond of the two girls after living with them for the past few months.

"Um..." Botan trailed off. "Well.."

"I have no idea. She doesn't either." Keiko told him bluntly.

"Eheh, that's true."

Shuichi just looked at them. "It's entirely impossible, I'm sorry. We don't need more loss of life on top of everything else that's happened this year."

Keiko knew what he was referring too. She dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Aww, you can't bare to lose us. I didn't know that you cared about us that much Shuichi! Keiko an I are flattered, aren't we Keiko?"

"Yeah." Keiko murmered.

Her tone caught the bluette's attention. "What's wrong?" she asked, concern laced in her voice.

Keiko looked up briefly and her brown eyes caught Shuichi's green ones. A look of understanding passed between them; he'd come close to losing his mother to a hungry youkai once, though he was able to save her in the end; Keiko hadn't been so lucky with her parents.

"I still think it's worth a try, irrational as it is." Keiko whispered, giving him a tired smile. "Maybe the castle's abandoned and she's hiding there, injured or something."

"It's a possibility..but really, whatever the reason is, I'd stay away from there. Not all youkai are blundering, stupid monsters. Some are smarter and more cunning than you think, trust me." They could very well be walking into a trap if they decided to investigate the situation.

Botan wondered how he knew this for sure, but didn't comment on it. "I guess you're right..." she said. "It's for the best that we ignored the issue for now."

Her friend looked at her strangely. "It is?"

The bluette nudged her lightly in the side. Keiko sent her a scowl, but kept quiet.

"All this talk of rescue missions is making me tired." Botan said suddenly. "Is it getting to you too Keiko?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"I'm going to bed, I think you should too." she smiled. "And you too Shuichi. We've gotta get up bright and early, as always."

The boy gazed at them with a suspicious glint in his eye. "Yeah..sounds like a good plan."

Botan slid up off the floor, and moved to her own corner of the room, laying down on the lumpy futon. "G'night, everyone!"

Shuichi and Keiko were left staring at her, slightly confused about her abrupt end to the conversation. They looked at each other and shrugged.

He smiled politely, and eased himself off the floor. "Goodnight Keiko-san."

"Night." She replied, laying down on her own futon. A few seconds later she heard the other room's shoji screen shut quietly.

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She laid there, blinking up at the ceiling without an ounce of drowsiness. She turned on one side, then the other. She really wasn't that sleepy. It was hard to relax her body knowing what was lurking outside, and the absence of her parents bothered her, even though she was well over the immediate shock of it all. Sometimes, when she was still drowsy with dreams, she would wake and look for them, coming to her senses when she recognized the figures of Shiori and Botan.

_"We don't need more loss of life on top of everything else that's happened this year."_

She missed her mom and dad terribly.

She rolled onto her back, her short brown hair fanning out behind her head. The room was so dark that it was like looking into a black hole; it didn't make a difference whether her eyes were open or closed.

"Psst."

She heard what sounded like moving of covers. "I'm going out. Wait up for me, alright?" Botan's voice whispered in the blackness.

Keiko sat up, wide eyed. "What're you talking about?"

"The girl. The only time I saw her was at night. I've got a good chance now."

"As in tonight? Are you crazy?!" She'd never been out this late. Ever. And Botan hadn't either, as far as she knew. Keiko had come close a couple of times, but she'd managed to get inside before the moon could finally show its face. Going out now was almost a deathwish. People committed suicide that way, people were dragged from their homes, but they never went into the darkness intentionally, expecting to come back alive.

"Listen, I know it sounds insane, but you have to trust me. I wouldn't drag you into this otherwise, but I need you stay up and wait for me. Unlock the door when I come back. And nobody else can know. I've got to go down there and see what I can find."

Keiko's head was reeling, her palms sweating from the thought of Botan doing such a thing. "Wait a minute, you saw the girl? You didn't tell me that!"

"I know, but-"

"Botan-"

"It's important, I have to."

Keiko buried her face in her hands. "I don't even know what you're talking about. You can't go there now!"

It was silent for a moment, until she felt the girl move, and saw a shadow hovering above her. "Please?" Botan whispered.

The brunette sighed loudly. There was no stopping her friend. "Ugh, I'm not letting you do this alone."

She let out a faint, happy squeak. "Oh I knew you would come through for me Keiko! That's the spirit!"

"No, I mean, I'm going with you." Her heart hammered at the her own words.

"You can't!" Botan protested, voice rising a pitch. She couldn't stand the thought of putting her friend in danger. "I have to do this. You don't, there's no need-"

"Either I go with you, or you don't go at all. That's your choice." she warned firmly, her decision set in stone.

"Keiko!"

"I'm serious."

Keiko ignored the logic that was screaming at her to stop, and lifted herself from the floor, her limbs beginning to shake. Yet her voice was strong. "I'm not letting you go out there by yourself. I wish you wouldn't at all, but..I don't understand why this is so important to begin with. I want to save a fellow human being too, you know, but there's no sense in going out right now, when they're at their worst."

"Then why are you coming?" she pressed.

"Because I don't want to lose anyone else to those monsters."

One fact hung unspoken in the air. There was nothing she could do if they were caught in a dangerous scenario. There wasn't anything either of them could do to save each other. They would be defenseless, blind humans lost in the dark.

Botan let out a loud sigh. "Fine. You win. You're too stubborn to argue with. But listen, if anything happens, you have to run back here. Don't wait or get yourself killed trying to save me."

Keiko made a murmur in agreement, but silently rebelled against that idea. She would not do something like that, leave a friend behind, and they both knew it.

"How're we going to get back in? We can't leave the door unlocked." she added.

"We'll figure it out later. I've got an idea."

They slipped through the door without a word, making sure to lock it tight behind them. Keiko couldn't shake the feeling of being barred from the only place of safety and cast out into a nightmare. Adrenaline poured into her veins as she fought the urge to cry.

They stood outside the house for what seemed like forever. The Makai skyline was a deep purple color at night, the moon the sole source of light, shining like a beacon; potentially leading them to their destination, or showing the demon population were their next meal was hiding.

Botan pulled a medium sized katana from her kimono and handed it to Keiko. "I'm guessing you're not sure how to use that, and I don't really know either..soo..I guess you start slashing when something starts um. Attacking. If anything does." Which something probably would.

Keiko nodded and took the sword, gripping it against her chest. Botan pulled out a smaller blade, unhooking it from the sheath at her leg. Keiko watched wide eyed as she did this; she had no idea Botan owned any weapons. Things were getting weirder and weirder, and she hoped the bluette would explain things when it was all over.

"You ready?"

Keiko tried to regain her composure that was slowly slipping away at every pounding heartbeat. "Yeah." She said shakily.

Botan smiled gently at her. "It's okay, I'm scared too. You can go back, you don't have to do this."

She nodded. "I know."

She concentrated on rescuing the girl who was probably stuck in terror all the time. Botan obviously knew more about it then she did, but that meant the girl wasn't a youkai, she was sad and lost. Feeling anxiety more intense by a thousand times then what Keiko was experiencing right now.

The girls stormed foreword off the porch, not bothering to look back. Botan's katana glinted in the moonlight and Keiko unsheathed hers, grasping the blade like it was her last lifeline. Botan led the way, and they moved as shadows through the clearing of the village, past the haggled tree and into the forest.

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Yeah I know, weird, but things will be clarified in the next chapter. There's also a reason for Kurama's going by his human name, but that'll change later also. Again, I'm just setting up the storyline, it'll get better, promise!

Thanks for reading! ;3


	3. Run to The Hills

Next chapter finally here. ;P I'm not lagging behind with this story, it's just that the chapters take me a while to write. They're so long, and I'm used to writing short little one-shots. But I'm having fun with this at least, things are starting to go at a faster pace now.

I always have trouble writing action, but I'm pleased with how this came out. Let me know if there's something I can obviously improve on, though. And I promise this isn't just about Keiko and Botan, other characters will come in later, it just takes a while for me to introduce them. XD

Thanks to my reviewers and watchers too. I really appreciate any kind of feedback. :3 Hope you enjoy.

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Chapter Two- Run to The Hills

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_"Listen up Botan, I've got an important mission for you to carry out."_

_She straighted up at Koenma's serious tone. "Sir?"_

_The Reikai prince let out a heavy sigh. "We've got an issue. I need to ask one more favor of you."_

_Botan nodded, anxiety swelling in her stomach. She loved her job as a Spirit World spy, though her duty did give her one heck of an adrenaline rush._

_Koenma propped his head up against his hand, as if it were tiresome to sit up straight. He talked to her in the illusion of his older form to fit the grim mood of the situation. "There's been an increase in death in the human race, and we've been trying to figure out why. I've recently gotten information from reliable sources that it's the work of a murderer, not a disease or something natural."_

_Botan's eyes widened. "But Koenma sir, how can-"_

_"Please-" he held up a hand, "let me finish. Ironic as it sounds, we don't know who the threat is, but it has something to do with a girl."_

_"A girl?"_

_"You know how these things work. We have no control over Makai, and getting any information is a blessing, so we can't be picky about it. Even though it's a real pain." he let out another sigh. "Man I've got such a headache."_

_He looked awful with his tousled hair hanging in his face. When was the last time he had a good nights sleep?_

_"To top it off, there are rumors circulating that it's going to be the end of the humans if we don't do something. The murderer is wiping out whole villages and not showing any sign of stopping."_

_Botan's heart dropped in her chest._

_She spat out a barrage of questions. "How's Spirit World going to handle this? What's going to happen to the humans? Sir, how're we gonna stop it?"_

_Koenma ignored her and went on talking as if she wasn't even there. "We don't know who the girl is either, but my sources-"_

_"Who's your source anyway, sir?"_

_He paused, sending her an aggravated look. He wasn't upset with her, his patience was just running out. "One of our undercover fighters who got picked up by this culprit. He wasn't hired by the murderer himself, but by one of the members of his party, so he doesn't know who the guy is **either**."_

_He dropped his head onto the desk._

_Botan clutched her oar in frustration. She wasn't technically human, but she wasn't a demon either, and she hated the thought of those monsters killing everyone she cared about._

_"How can I help?"_

_Koenma lifted his head and peered at her, the dread returning to his face. "The unknown girl is the center of it all. Our sources know that much, and if we don't obtain her then it'll be a disaster. I think she's the mastermind."_

_Botan waited, not wanting to interrupt him again._

_"You're one of my best agents in the west, so I'm relying on you to take the first step. If you hear or see something out of the ordinary let me know. That girl is said to be in your region. If she turns up I need you to do anything you can to get her in your possession, thus in the hands of Spirit World."_

_"But why don't you send some of our warriors?" Really, what on earth could she do about such a thing? She wasn't a fighter!_

_"They're busy tracking the murderer. We're close to hitting the heart of this so I can't afford to pull them out now."_

_So he didn't have any other choice. Botan studied him silently for a moment then nodded. "I understand." she said in all seriousness. There was no way she could refuse with so much at risk._

_"Just tell the villagers that she's a hostage of demons, or something," he whined, "I mean I know I'm asking too much, but-"_

_"I understand."_

_"You do?" He stared at her._

_"Yes Koenma sir."_

_A smile finally came back to his face, returning him to his usual lighthearted self; centuries year old with the mind of a kid. "Sorry, you usually argue with me."_

_Botan stood up straight, holding her oar out like a weapon, as if she were a soldier. "I joke around y'know, but there's so much at risk now. I'll try my best to follow out your orders."_

_"Thank you Botan, I won't forget this. I'll promote you at once."_

_She bowed and strolled out of the room, pushing past the heavy doors and flying out into the wispy sky of Spirit World. Tangled worries lay heavy in her heart while the clouds drifted past her without a care._

_She was sworn to an oath of silence; a Spirit World spy here, and a common village girl in Makai. No one could know her past the ordinary facade, not even her friends._

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Botan reminded herself of why she was doing this. She had an obligation to fulfill, no backing out now, she gave Koenma her word. She gritted her teeth in determination and tried to quell her trembling knees, for fear her legs would give out underneath her.

She could see the outline of Keiko's small form beside her, their arms locked to keep them from getting separated. The sky overhead whirled around, adding to their nervousness as they ran. Botan fought back the urge to be sick.

Her eyes darted from the ground to the foliage around her, expecting danger to pop out at them at any moment; like a fawn intruding into the lion's den.

Suddenly she knocked into Keiko from the side, sending them both sprawling into a bush and onto the ground. Keiko got a mouthful of grass and tried to cough, but Botan stopped her by clamping a hand over her mouth.

Botan could only hear the sound of her own pulse. Nothing else. For a moment Keiko laid so still that she forgot she was there.

Something let out a hiss above them.

Keiko let out a squeak of horror, but it didn't get any further then Botan's fingers.

A shadow of a large creature crept closer to the bushes. They could hear it sniffing the air.

The girls froze, silently praying for help. Keiko itched with the instinct to run, and Botan resisted the urge to fight. Neither one dared to move their weapons.

A scaly snout shoved its way through the bushes, smacking Botan on the head, and they did the unthinkable.

They screamed.

The youkai roared in response, it's muzzle opening and shutting like a trap, jerking Botan back by the ponytail before she could get away.

Her heart lept up in her throat as the yelling reached a crescendo. She swung her sword at the youkai's head, but the demon saw it coming and evaded the attack.

_"Let her go!"_ Keiko pulled Botan by the arm, trying to free her from it's grasp. It turned it's shiny eyes on her and snarled, it's pupils mere slits of black on yellow.

But Keiko wasn't affected by it's stare. She blindly stabbed again and again at the angry demon until it dropped Botan. The youkai let out a pain yell as a dark liquid splashed on their faces and clothes.

The girls took off at a frantic pace. "Oh my God," Keiko breathed, "are you alright?! What was that thing?"

"Way to go Keiko, I owe you one!" she cheered, flashing a peace sign. "Some kinda giant lizard, but I'd rather not think about what almost had me for lunch."

They sprinted uphill, their footfalls echoing in the darkness. They didn't dare glance behind in case it would hinder their vision.

The forest ended and a clearing opened up before them, like a sudden breath of air. The weeds were tall and wild all around, and in the dark they couldn't see the path in front of them.

Keiko slipped up as rock got caught under her foot. She made a sharp dive forward, dragging a surprised Botan with her downhill. She tried to regain her balance but the steep slope and Botan's weight added to the momentum.

They hit the ground hard, the prickly grass doing nothing to cushion the fall. "Owww..." Keiko moaned, as she helped a shaky Botan stand. "Sorry! I can't believe how-"

The groan of a demon interrupted her. It sounded close, and they took that as their cue to be on the move again. "Looks like that monster's mad you rearranged it's face." Botan commented. "It'd better leave us alone too, if it values it's life."

"I think it's the other way around." Keiko remarked, hoping the youkai couldn't overhear. One never knew with those things.

They reached the stone fortress. It's impending walls held no more comfort than the vicious woods that surrounded it. There were youkai everywhere; the castle kept out the blundering enemies but possibly held the worst ones within.

"How're we gonna get inside?" Keiko asked as she watched Botan feel the walls for any sign of a hidden entrance. "Well, you know the front's guarded, but these things usually- aha!"

Botan's fingers traced a crack on one of the bricks. She pushed on it and it slid, making an opening. She pulled on another brick beside it and it too, came lose without much effort. "Well, that was easy."

But only a small child could pass through that small a space. Her and Keiko were little, but not that little. "Help me," she gestured to the brunette, "move this one, it shouldn't be too heavy."

Five minutes passed, each second ticking away on their chance for survival. But they finally got a decent opening in the wall that maybe one of them could go through at a time.

As if on cue, the lizard demon emerged at the top of the hill. It's face was bleeding heavily and it instantly spotted the girls with a look of vehemence. It let out an ungodly roar and charged.

It would probably take less than a minute for it to reach them. Keiko's body began shaking miserably.

"Keiko, you go in first-" Botan urged.

"I can't do that, you-"

"Oh we don't have time to argue about this!" Botan shoved herself head first through the entrance, but the surrounding bricks held onto her side. She yanked herself back out, clawing at the wall and starting to panic. "Dang it, come on-"

Keiko swung her head around to see the youkai less then ten feet away. The creature's jaw opened in a sneer, knowing that it would soon be feeding on human meat. "Botan, Botan we've got to do something _now!_"

They both tugged at the bricks with all their strength, despite their trembling fingers. A piece of the wall came lose and Botan dived through the hole, Keiko pushing in right behind her.

The youkai slammed into the wall not a second after the girls made it through. It's head would not fit through the opening, but it's nose was narrow enough that it could.

Keiko all but shoved Botan the rest of the way when she saw the gaping mouth at the beginning of the tunnel. "It can't fit! I know it can't..." she told herself.

"But it's sure trying." Botan grumbled. "It can't get through though with that fat head, just ignore it."

Keiko swallowed her fear and concentrated on the path ahead. Even if the youkai was snarling and slamming its enormous tail into the outside wall, she would not freak out. It was trying to intimidate them, that's all.

The surrounding bricks shook as the creature fought against them to get to it's human prey. "Hope this doesn't cave in." Botan said, her voice calm. She was terrified, but she hid her panic to keep from adding to Keiko's fear. "But this is pretty sturdy so I don't think it will. This must be some hidden tunnel in and out.."

The claustrophobic air of the passage ended when a room opened up before them. It's spacious, high ceilings gave it the feeling of an ancient, forgotten temple. Dusty tapestries hung from the ceilings, seeming to add to it's decrepitude. And it was empty.

Botan crawled out slowly. "Some place..it looks like no one's here at all..." she whispered, standing up, keeping her back against the wall. "It's safe right now though, better then outside."

Keiko eased herself up from the floor. "I think I can breath now." she sighed, "I thought I was gonna die back there."

"But we didn't!" The bluette sent her a tired smile. "Are we warriors or what?"

"Yeah, we're some fighters!" Keiko said half sarcastically and highfived her. "I don't know how much more of this I can take, though."

"Me neither."

Keiko studied the room, her eyes trailing to the door on the opposite wall. "Should we try it?"

"Might as well. Maybe this place is completely empty though, I mean, there couldn't possibly be youkai in here. They would've smelled us already..."

Botan marched across the room. Keiko stood to the side, back flat against the wall; her dagger posed to swing in case a threat jumped Botan when she opened the door.

The bluette wrapped her fingers around the doorknob. It was cold against her skin, as if no one had used it in years. Her heart began pounding again. She felt like she was living a horror novel.

She glanced sideways at Keiko, who gave her a nod in reassurance. The sword in her hands glinted in the dull light.

But before Botan could do anything, the door swung violently, as if someone had kicked it open.

She like out a yelp, and Keiko responded by reeling around to face the threat, posed for combat. But instead of a youkai, they found themselves staring into the face of a gigantic, dull eyed man. A bush of a beard grew on his face, a deep scar across the bridge of his nose. He inspected the girls with an air of bordum. "My shift's..over..I'm sick of babysitting this bitch, so here."

He dragged a woman out from behind him and threw her at Botan. The girl uttered a sound of surprise, then went lax in her arms. "She froze the whole goddamn room." the man spat, "thought I was gonna die from frostbite. She was giving me some weird illusions too, you'd better watch her real close. The one with the aardvark was twisted."

_Riiight._ Keiko watched him warily. The smell of alcohol came off of him in waves. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Botan raised an eyebrow. He was an oaf of a guy, but human nonetheless. Question was, who did he think they were?

Then it dawned on her. She truly looked at herself for the first time since they left the village. Her and Keiko were posed in a fighting stance, holding up sharp weapons with blood splatted all over everything. Not to mention her own strange blue hair, which strikes others as more demonic than human. A grin eased across her face. "Yeah, well.." she said, "you don't have to deal with it, we'll handle her."

Keiko sent her a baffled look.

"It's our turn, _isn't it, _demon slayer Keiko?" she coughed.

She got the hint. "Oh! Um, yeah, you don't have to bother. We'll take care of her."

The man grunted. "Good. Make sure 'nothin happens. If she escapes the boss'll kill us all. That wench is a goldmine."

And with that, he whirled around and left, slamming the door behind him.

"That was..painless.." Botan mumbled, amazed. She thought they were have to fight through an army of monsters and maybe lose a few limbs in the process. Not have the captive tossed right into their hands.

"That was weird.." Keiko said.

A meek cough drew their attention to the girl wrapped up against Botan. The stranger stepped back and watched them, her eyes glazed over, as if she was no where near reality. Despite the emptiness lurking beneath, her eyes were rich with a dark maroon color, like red wine. Her hair was pulled back in waves of sea green, framing a small face.

Botan and Keiko gaped at her, at a loss for what to do. Obviously she was not human. But she didn't seem threatening whatsoever, her frame seemed more fragile than even Keiko's, and she held no visible weapons. She couldn't possibly be a demon.

The girl said nothing about their scrutiny, only stood patiently like a wilted flower.

Keiko creeped over to her. "What's your name?" she asked in a gentle tone.

"...Yukina." the stranger responded quietly, directing her gaze to the floor.

"Well Yukina," Botan chirped, not phased by the girl's shyness, "we've come to get you out of here." She tugged on her blue kimono sleeve.

"What?" Yukina said, taken aback. Her apathetic facade shattered to pieces. "You can't!"

"That's why we're here! You've been held captive haven't you?" Botan frowned. "I know we just met, but lets be friends okay? Me and Keiko came to rescue you, we heard your screaming late at night, and it bothers us."

"Are you alright miss Yukina?" Keiko asked her in concern.

Yukina took a step back. "You can't take me from here. You don't know what you're getting yourselves into, they'd come after you if I left!"

"Who's they?"

Yukina whirled around and made a beeline for the door. "Wait!" Botan grabbed her by the shoulders. "Wait wait wait, don't run from us, we're here to help."

Yukina's crimson eyes were wide with confusion. "I-I..don't know either of you." she whispered. "I'm sorry, but-"

"Well we can't leave you here. And you're obviously not being held in good company." Keiko said flatly. She walked over and lightly placed a hand on her shoulder, for fear the girl would bolt. "We're not bad guys, promise."

She regarded them silently, searching their faces for any signs of malice. But she found none, only quiet empathy from Keiko and overzealous kindness from Botan. "There's sill no way." she told them.

Botan let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm sorry too, but you're getting out of here whether you like it or not."

Both girls looked at her with surprise. But before either could respond, Botan nearly jumped a stunned Yukina, wrapping her small arm in a deathlock, pulling the poor girl through the opening in the wall.

"Botan!" Keiko shrieked, horrified.

"C'mon! We have to hurry!"

"You can't do this! You're putting yourself in danger!" Yukina called in a squeaky voice, but was ignored.

"Ugh.." Keiko shook her head. Botan did not always respect personal space, even strangers got the full blast of her friendly nature. "I'm coming, hold on!"

Keiko caught up to them as she crawled through the tunnel. "Hey isn't that youkai still out there?" she reminded her hard-headed friend. Botan was in front, so she would see the demon first.

"Yeah, somewhere, but I think it left."

But it could still be there waiting for them. Not like they had a choice in the matter...A worried knot formed in her stomach. She gripped the trusty katana at her side.

They manged to er, rescue the girl at least. All this terror and running around hadn't been in vain; even though she'd be suffering from nightmares for weeks.

Unlike Keiko, the possibility of danger was not bothering Botan at the moment. She was too busy wondering about the strange Yukina, Koenma's warning echoing in her mind.

"If we don't gain possession of her then it'll be a disaster. I think she's the mastermind."

There was just no way. Sure, the meek girl seemed mysterious enough, but not malevolent in any way. One girl couldn't cause the destruction of humanity. She was not a monster, Botan knew that from looking at her.

Yet she had to be the one Spirit World wanted. Yukina said people would come after them if she was removed from the hiding place. Things didn't add up no matter how you thought about it.

Luckily the youkai was gone when they emerged from the wall. The three girls made their way back to the village at a frantic pace, Yukina getting pulled along behind them.

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Yukina's back! I love Yukina, can't leave her out of a multi-chapter fic, lol. :3

Anyway, I tried to make the running-from-youkai scene kind of a parallel to when the zombie teachers attack Botan and Keiko in the series. Dunno if that worked, but I tried. And I know the plot is pretty obvious right now, but hopefully I'll stump you later. Maybe, heh.

Thanks for reading!


	4. The Search Begins

Thanks for the feedback. :3 It's appreciated! Here's the next part.

This chapter was a challenge to write because describing action is hard for me at times. And this chapter is filled with it(though so are the previous ones, this story is kinda fast-paced.) This one's also more violent than the others, just so you know.

One thing I wanted to point out is that there won't be any characters from the Chapter Black saga and onwards. Even though this story takes place in Makai, Mukuro and Yomi won't be in it. The idea is to make the Reikai Tantei the big ancestors of demon world. It's like Yusuke _is _Raizen(takes his place), instead of him coming from the human world and going through all that. Hard to explain. xD Hopefully you'll see what I mean later. (Keiko's counterpart would be the un-named doctor lady, by the way.)

Please let me know if there's something I need to improve on. I don't have a beta(trying to work on that problem), but I did my best to pick out any mistakes.

Enjoy!

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Chapter Three- The Search Begins

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"Run this by me again, you did _what?_"

Shizuru Kuwabara leaned back against the wall, a skeptical expression on her face. She watched Botan and Keiko attempt to explain themselves. Her eyes narrowed in disapproval, light brown hair tossed over her shoulder. "That's stupid and reckless. You could have gotten yourselves killed!"

"I know I know!" Botan said, her voice slightly squeaky. She expected go get a lecture and maybe a pop on the head from Shizuru. "And we're very sorry, but we had to do something!"

Still, the bluette believed that going to Shizuru's place was a better plan than running home and waking a wrathful Shuichi. She could persuade her to make up some excuse as to why her and Keiko weren't home in the morning, and say Yukina came from a neighboring village. Well, maybe. Fate had been on their side so far.

"She was being tortured." Keiko said calmly, sitting back against the wall, keeping her distance from Shizuru. "We couldn't ignore that, I mean..."

"Yeah well, since when is it your job to rescue people?" she replied. Shizuru crossed her arms and walked over to Botan, glaring down at the younger girl. "If either of you ever do something that stupid again I swear I'm gonna..."

She stopped, looking past her and at Yukina. She had settled next to Keiko, sitting with her legs tucked underneath her. She kept quiet during the whole argument, studying them with those calm ruby eyes.

Shizuru's angry demeanor melted. "Hey. Is Keiko right? Were people hurting you?"

Yukina lifted her gaze, lips turning into a polite smile. "Yes. And I'm sorry that I put your friends in danger, I tried to warn them not to rescue me...but-"

"Oh well I don't mean it that way. No offense to you, it's just..." she paused, rethinking her words. "Actually, we're glad you're here with us. Sorry I'm being so rude."

"You're not. It's nice to meet you."

She smiled. "Likewise."

Shizuru turned around, facing the hall that led to her brother's room. It was pitch black outside, and all the windows were shut tightly. Candles lit up the darkest of corners, casting shadows across the wall, giving the house an sleepy, comforting atmosphere. "Kazuma! Get out here, we've got guests."

There was a faint shuffling sound, followed by a loud groan. Someone stomped down the hall like an angry bear, and soon a young man appeared in the doorway. He was tall and bulky, with a bright patch of orange hair on his head. His eyelids drooped with sleep. "Who the heck visits this late in -- oh. Hey you guys."

"Evening Kuwabara." Keiko said. "Sorry to wake you."

"Kuwabara, this is Yukina." Botan said, gesturing towards the girl. "She's uh, new here."

Yukina gave him the same look she had shown Shizuru. "Hello, nice to meet you."

Kuwabara's brown eyes turned to her. "How's it-" His jaw dropped, as if an unseen forced suddenly slapped him in the face.

A baffled look crossed Yukina's features. She bowed low, thinking she had somehow offended him. Her green kimono shifted with her when she moved, framing her petite figure, like a butterfly wrapped in velvet.

He stared, not bothering to blink.

Shizuru coughed loudly.

She snapped him from his daze. He straighted up, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "S-sorry, where're my manners? Yukina was it? I'm Kuwabara, but _you_ can call me Kazuma." He flashed her a wide grin. "Are you from the neighboring village?"

Yukina blinked, a nervous smile at her lips. "Um..."

Keiko held in a giggle, and Shizuru rolled her eyes. "Little brother, you're an idiot."

Kuwabara scowled, swinging around to face his sister. "C'mon, I'm being nice."

"Right. Well please don't make a fool out of yourself." She grumbled, then directed her attention to Yukina, who watched them both with a perplexed expression. "We don't get many visitors, as you can tell."

Her smile brightened. "It's ok. You all seem nice to me."

Kuwabara dropped down next to Shizuru, eyes still straying to Yukina. Botan laughed to herself, amused by the situation. Keiko studied the flame of a candle, chewing her bottom lip, the light catching the auburn shades in her hair.

She had to know. "Not to kill the mood of the conversation, but..." Keiko whispered, placing a hand on Yukina's shoulder. "Why were you held up in that awful place?"

Botan's eyes flashed, but she said nothing.

Yukina didn't wince, nor did her facade falter in the slightest. Keiko's question had been floating in the air all evening. "I was captured a long time ago."

Kuwabara frowned. "Captured? What're you talking about?"

Shizuru nudged him. "I'll tell you later, alright."

"Where do you come from? I mean...why would anyone want to take you?" Keiko pressed.

"My tears," she gingerly touched the corners of her eyes, "are valuable to some. I didn't know this when I left my village, but the pearls of ice apparitions are sought after by youkai and humans." She sighed. "Some bandits found me and took me prisoner, and I've been locked up there ever since."

"Ice apparition?" Shizuru quirked an eyebrow.

Keiko cringed. "So you're not..human?" she asked, removing her hand from her shoulder.

Yukina peered at her with mild surprise. "Why would you think that I was? I'm a youkai."

A startled silence filled the room. Everyone fixed a heavy gaze on her, and the friendly faces suddenly became serious. It was as if she has uttered a shocking taboo.

Keiko swallowed her natural fear, her expression slipping into one of caution. "You're a demon?"

"You don't act like one." Shizuru pointed out.

"You don't _look_ like one." Kuwabara said.

Yukina fiddled with her kimono sleeve. "But aren't my features unnatural to humans?"

"That's true, but look at Botan. Her hair's blue, and she's human." Shizuru said.

"Y-yeah!" Botan chirped, plastering a fake smile on her lips. The sudden attention on her made her jump. She had been keenly listening to the conversation, noting every word spoken. Hope no one noticed her hesitation.

They didn't, all eyes were on Yukina. Kuwabara leaned forward. "You can't be a youkai. Youkai are big nasty monsters, and you aren't any of those things."

"Some of them are bad, yes, but not all. I come from a village of youkai women, and we don't go around killing humans or fighting each other. We live in peace."

"Are you a youkai human mix then?"

Keiko gaped at him. "That's not possible. Who would..."

Kuwabara shrugged. "I dunno, I've heard stories."

Botan spoke up suddenly. "So you don't have anything against humans?"

Yukina looked away, disregarding their judgment. She couldn't blame them for it. Humans were treated so badly here. "No. There are good and evil ones, just like there are good and bad youkai. Humans _and_ youkai held me captive, so in my eyes they're the same."

The room became quiet again. Her words sunk into everyone's thoughts, cooling down their curiosity and bringing sympathy back up to the surface.

"We're the good ones." Kuwabara said, holding his hands out as if to comfort her. "Sorry that you've been hurt, but we're not like that. Please don't hate us."

She caught the sincere tone in his voice. "I know that. After all, Botan and Keiko saved me." she beamed at him. "It's okay."

"And we know you're not like..most youkai." Keiko said, giving her a cool smile. "We're glad you're safe."

"Thank you."

Shizuru let out a long breath. "Now that that's over with...come over here Yukina, we've got to bandage those wounds. Keiko and Botan, you two get yourselves cleaned up, you can borrow some of my clothes."

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**xx**

"I think we killed all of 'em."

Hiei swung a burning gaze to Yusuke, his lips pulled back into a snarl. "I don't understand, she should have been here! She _was_ here, dammit how did we miss her?!"

Yusuke examined a cut on his fist, ignoring the aching wounds on his side. "Maybe she escaped," he said, "she couldn't have gone too far."

The demons stood in a ruined castle, a section of one wall destroyed, the broken bodies of men and youkai visible to the outside forest. The smell of meat and blood hung so thick in the air that they could taste it. Yusuke grimaced at the flavor of copper on his tongue.

"She's definitely not here, anyway." he said.

Hiei removed the bandanna around his forehead and closed his eyes. A pulse of power echoed throughout the room as his Jagan eye opened, it's iris a glowing splash of violet.

Yusuke frowned. "I thought you couldn't find her with that."

"They had her sealed up with some kind of sutra, but not anymore."

His third eye gave out another wave of energy before it revealed the images to him. He saw the thick woods and empty plateaus that made up this region. He saw numerous, unnamed youkai blundering through the distant mountains. Nothing useful.

Hiei's forehead ached as he waited, but the vision of his sister finally brought the images to a halt.

"She's in a neighboring village."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. One had to poke and prod to get an informative conversation out of Hiei. "Great, lets go then! Can't stand here forever you know, my attention span's limited."

Hiei's Jagan closed shut as his eyes fluttered open. "Something's not right, I can't pinpoint her exact location."

"What, your Yukina senses aren't tingling?"

He sent him an angry look. "This isn't something to make jokes about."

Yusuke ignored the glare and wiped a smudge of sticky liquid off his own cheek. He never liked Hiei's cut and slash technique, it was too messy. "There shouldn't be many villages around here. We can search a few, find her then leave."

"You know it doesn't work that way." he said, wrapping his bandanna back around his head. "We'll wipe out any vermin too."

Yusuke opened his mouth in a reply, but closed it, rethinking his words. "Yeah, about that..."

A pained groan sounded to their right. They turned to face the noise, their eyes widening when they saw its source. "Oh. I forgot he was still alive." Yusuke remarked, shrugging. "He hurt your girlfriend, so I guess you can do the honors."

"She's not my girlfriend." Hiei snapped, eyes locked on the dying man.

He slinked over to him, the way a wolf walks to it's wounded prey. The man lay flat on his back, fists clenched in pain. His entire body began quivering at Hiei's approach, fat lips choking on air like a fish out of water.

Yusuke leaned against the wall, eyes distant and face turned away. Having to listen to the carnage was bad enough.

Hiei drew his sword downwards, stopping an inch from the man's neck. "Any last words before I cut your throat?"

The man shook violently, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"Hn, I didn't think so." Hiei pressed the blade further down until it pierced skin, then swung it sideways with full force, cutting the bone and severing the head from the shoulders. An ugly slick sound echoed loudly as liquid hit the floor.

Hiei stared at the dead man, gripping the sword so tight that it sent surges of pain through his fingers. He had done it. He killed the source of his sister's suffering. Yet he felt no better, the hate was still there. Why?

"There's a village uphill from here." He told Yusuke after a moment. "Look for her, turn the place upside down and I'll catch up to you tomorrow night. I'll search the one up in the mountains."

Yusuke peered at him, all humor gone from his face. "Do I need to summon the crew for a raid?"

"Not yet. Wait until tomorrow."

Yusuke scowled. "How am I supposed to find her? I don't know what she looks like. You failed to tell me those details."

Hiei fixed a heavy stare on him, but Yusuke caught his hesitation. "She's an...ice maiden. Long green hair, pretty features, red eyes. Don't forget it."

With that he was gone, seeming to flit away back into the shadows.

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**xx**

"This wild goose chase is getting old! I mean I wonder if that girl even exists. Maybe I'm running after a figment of his warped imagination." Yusuke grumbled to himself, smacking leaves away from his face as he made his way towards the village.

He stomped through the underbrush of the forest. The pink tint of morning hung over the horizon, the rising sun chasing away the darkness. Yusuke concealed his powerful demon energy in the hope that some clueless youkai would pick a fight with him. He was tired, irritated, and in the mood for a good brawl.

But not a good murder. He cringed despite himself. He knew that the bastard had deserved it in the end, but watching Hiei's cold apathy towards slaughtering a human had been disturbing in so many ways.

Personally he'd rather use his fist to knock the hell out of some demon. Not a human, it wasn't a fair fight. He couldn't blame Hiei for doing what he did, though.

He stopped, pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind. A devious smile eased across his face as he waited.

A snarling youkai sprang out from the bushes. _"Food!"_ It growled out in a rough, calloused voice, lunging towards him with giant claws. _"I'll kill you!"_

Yusuke's smile busted into an all out grin as he grabbed the creature by the wrist, avoiding it's claws and nearly jerking the arm out of it's socket. "You wanna fight me then?"

The youkai let out a scream. _"No, no forgive me I thought you were human!"_

Yusuke dropped the demon and it fell to the ground with a thump. It gaped up at him with big yellow eyes, trying to make itself as small as possible. It's snout was a mess of teeth and blood. Yusuke sneered. "Didn't know I was a youkai huh?" he said, frowning. "And..what the hell happened to your nose?"

The demon backed up, creeping out of his way. _"Two armed human women."_ It growled.

Yusuke threw his hands up in exasperation. "Girls! The source of everyone's problems these days!" He sighed. "Seriously, am I the only one who's not driven crazy by some chick? Get lost gecko, you're too puny to beat up anyway."

It slithered into the bushes and took off, disappearing into the forest. Yusuke watched it go, his mind drifting once again. He shook his head, his thick hair brushing against his back. He sneaked down the hill, unmasking his demon energy in a vague warning to the village. "Here we go again." He whispered.

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Yukina's eyes snapped open. She bolted upright in her futon, her hands quivering in fear.

She had been locked in a deep sleep, finally able to rest knowing that she was safe. No bandit lurked behind to harm her when she was helpless. Bandages covered the scars and burns on her arms, a clean kimono on her back.

But something had jarred her awake. Danger tugged at an invisible string, sounding the bell of alarm in her head. She sensed that only someone ridiculously powerful could carry that much energy, and they probably weren't friendly.

She reached out and tapped Shizuru, who lay less than a foot away. "Miss Shizuru, please." She shook her, trying to rose her from her sleep. "You have to wake up, we need to get out of here."

The brunette rolled over and blinked, waiting for recognition to sink in. "Huh?" she groaned, messy hair hanging in her face like a silk certain.

"Someone's coming this way," Yukina persisted, "I don't know who, but they're strong. You need to get everyone someplace safe!"

There was a loud banging on the door. The girls jumped up, startled, immediately searching the room for weapons. Shizuru grabbed a katana that was laying on the floor and walked over to the barrier between them and a possible monster. She listened through the door, completely awake now. Her heart pumped wildly in her chest.

All the noise woke Botan and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What's 'goin on?"

Yukina pressed her back against the wall, a faint blue aura surrounding her body. The temperature dropped in the room as her panic rose. She feared the bandits found her and were out for revenge. They would slaughter everyone in this little village, and she could do nothing.

"Let me in, it's Shuichi!"

Shizuru dropped the sword, which fell to the ground, forgotten. "Thank god!" She swung the door open. Shuichi and Shiori stood in the entrance-way, still wrapped in their night kimono, holding out a dying candle. Shadows danced across Shuichi's face, revealing flecks of gold in his eyes. His mother looked worried, her brows drawn up in sadness and her dark hair falling out of its braid.

"Are you trying to scare the hell out of us?" Shizuru yelled, but stopped when she noticed his stern expression. Her blood ran cold. "What's wrong?"

"We need to head for the forest, something nasty is coming this way." Shuichi warned, his voice eerily calm. "Have you seen Keiko and-"

He spotted Botan in the corner. She cringed, but gave him a sheepish smile. "Um. Hi." She rose her hand as if to wave, then dropped it back to her side.

"How did you-" He rubbed his temples, letting out a great sigh. "You know what, never mind, we don't have time."

Kuwabara appeared in the room. "What's all the yelling about?"

Shizuru yanked her brother to her. He grabbed on to Yukina, pulling her along as everyone crowded together, trudging faithfully behind Shuichi. Botan picked her katana off the floor and sheathed it against her hip.

The ice maiden tapped Kuwabara on the shoulder, ignoring his hard grip on her wrist. It was uncomfortable, but not tight enough to hurt. She could tell that he was terrified, she could almost feel the fear trailing from his hand. "Where're we going?" She asked.

He smiled, but no warmth reached his eyes. "To safety, don't worry."

They hurried past neighboring houses and gardens, meeting a group of villagers standing on the outskirts of the forest. More and more people dribbled into the crowd, toting pets and crying children with them into the woods.

A large cave appeared, standing out among the trees, it's hole a mass of cold darkness. The brown rocks surrounding the entrance were jagged, the ground around it damp and soggy. Every person in the village had seen it before, it was their only source of refuge from attack in times of emergencies.

Groups of four and five creeped into the entrance, a single candle their only guide through the black. The trees blocked the light of morning as families hovered together for comfort. Men and women held onto dull blades and spears, prepared to fight if forced to.

Shiori had a deep frown on her face as she surveyed the members of her own party. She had never seen Yukina before, but she hardly noticed the girl. Something else bothered her. Someone was missing.

"Where's Keiko?"

Everyone whirled around to gape at her, mouths hanging open in shock. _"Keiko!"_ Botan screamed. "I can't believe we didn't notice!"

Shizuru's hands began trembling but she kept a calm voice. "She was..there when we went to bed."

The group erupted into a frenzied conversation, trying to remember where she was last seen and where she could have gone.

Kuwabara cracked his knuckles. "I'll go look for her, we can't leave her out there alone."

"No." Shuichi stopped him, that dark note still laced under his tone. "You stay with the women and protect them here. I'll find her."

No one protested. Shuichi was their best fighter and probably Keiko's only chance. Kuwabara nodded, vowing to defend the girls no matter what.

Shiori tugged on her son's shoulder. "Please be careful." she whispered. "They don't know what's out there. It's a youkai, I don't want to lose you to those monsters."

"Don't worry," he smiled, "I'll be back. Those...monsters, won't harm me."

Botan watched with apprehension, chewing on her nails. How could she not have _noticed?_ "Oh Keiko..."

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**xx**

She headed home, padding quietly across the rusty landscape, keeping her senses alert to any signs of danger.

Keiko ran a hand through her chestnut color hair, sighing ruefully. She had snuck out of the Kuwabara home to take a walk, despite her better judgment. She couldn't sleep, couldn't dream, and she was tired, both in body and soul. She was on the verge of exhaustion, but still..she couldn't go to bed. Too many things bothered her.

So she had gone out in the wee hours of morning when the moon finally descended along the horizon. She went to her spot on the hill to think. Maybe make some sense why she was feeling so blue. She was never good at picking out her emotions.

Those ruby eyes were kind, but...foreign. Yukina was nice, and she liked her so far. The girl was polite, considerate, and probably more traumatized than Keiko could ever imagine. So she was drawn to her in the way that friends are drawn to one other. Yukina was hurting, and she wanted to help her through the pain.

But it was different. Yukina wasn't human. No matter how she acted or where she came from, she was still an enemy.

She didn't see her that way. That was the problem! She felt guilty sympathizing with someone she should hate. Her parents would surely be disgusted if they saw her helping a demon. Compassion couldn't transcend the boundaries between human and youkai.

Keiko came to a stop when she reached the village. What she saw made her glance around in confusion.

No one was there. The howling wind scraped across empty rooftops.

It was early in the morning, but still..there would be at least a few people moving about between houses. She should hear the happy barking of a dog or the gossiping of neighbors. Yet there was nothing.

Logic screamed at her when the facts finally sunk in. It took her a minute to process what she knew, because she didn't want to believe it. "Shizuru? Botan? Hello?" she called in a hoarse voice.

For the second day in a row terror gripped her senses and refused to let go. And empty village meant a youkai came through. But there were no bodies or broken buildings. The people must have fled to the forest.

And she was left alone.

She heard footsteps somewhere close. Keiko didn't bother to turn around as she bolted, running as fast as her legs could carry her.

She dove into her house, almost tripping on the porch in the process. Something laughed at her in a deep, predatory voice, the way a cat laughs at a dying mouse. Fury mixed with her fear. Life was only a toy to them, wasn't it?

Keiko slammed the door, bolted up all the locks and ran into a corner. She clutched the katana to her chest, praying to the gods that her friends were safe and that she could survive this.

The door busted open off it's hinges, and Keiko let out an angry cry. "Get away from me!" She was backed in a corner. Her fists, the sword, and her adrenaline the only weapons against a creature that had many ways to kill her.

The dust settled and she forced herself to peek up at the enemy. She couldn't stop the confusion from showing on her features when she found herself staring at a young man. His hair was a black mess down to his knees, with markings thrown across lean muscle.

Her eyes narrowed. No, not a man, a monster.

And he was coming closer.

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Too many damn 'S' names. Shiori Shuichi Shizuru. Bet you can't say that ten times in a row. xD I tried to avoid repetition but it's hard, lol.

Character jabber; included Shizuru because she's almost like a pillar of strength for the girls in the series(especially Keiko). So she'll have an important impact on their emotions later on.

Alot of people love to exclude Kuwabara, but I like him, so he's in there. One can't really cut him out of a story where there are so many supporting characters. He's one of the main ones! It wouldn't make sense. Also I like his relationship with Yukina.

Shiori is important because she keeps Kurama there with the humans. They don't know he's Kurama, obviously, but you readers do. XD He would be on the youkai's side if it weren't for her, so he's hiding out as Shuichi. I'm not exactly sure how to portray Shiori, other than the typical loving mother.

Anyway, thanks for reading! ;3;


	5. First Encounters

Thanks for the feedback once again! Sorry about the cliffhanger last time. XD

* * *

**_Chapter Four- First Encounters _**

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He immediately spotted the girl hovered in the corner.

Yusuke met her gaze and she flinched instantly. Her eyes widened as she clutched that little weapon for all she was worth. _"Go away!"_ she said, hair hanging wildly in her face. But she wasn't fooling anyone. He could sense the fear moving off her in waves.

Yusuke's lips turned into a grin. "What if I don't want to?"

Her angry expression faltered but she continued to eye him warily. She flashed the sword in the light like a frightened kitten bearing it's claws. "Get out."

He frowned. "Hate to burst your bubble, but I don't answer to you." He straightened up in confidence, getting rid of his natural slouch and letting her know who was really in charge of the situation. But she didn't look intimidated.

"I don't care, get away from me."

He raised his brows. She had some guts at least. Most village women panicked at the sight of him, running around in circles like chickens with their heads cut off. How old was this girl anyway?

"Please, just go away." she repeated.

Yusuke let out a sigh. He walked over and crouched down in front of her. "Whatever. Listen, have you seen any..uh, ice girls around here? I'll leave you alone if you tell me."

Her face went still and cold like a stone, which probably meant she was hiding something. "Well have you?" he persisted. He leaned in closer to her, strands of his black hair brushing against her neck. "I dunno who you are," he growled, sending her a scowl that would make any youkai run for cover, "and I don't think you know who _I_ am, but let me fill you in. I could tear you to pieces if I wanted. It'd be wise for you to answer me."

She glared at him and remained silent. Her arm jerked once as if she were about to strike out with the sword. Surely she had more sense than that.

Her brown eyes seemed to burn with emotion. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She was convincing, but not convincing enough. He caught the tremor of hesitation in her voice. "I think you're lying."

Her lips parted in a reply, but instead she took a desperate chance. She swung the katana at him in one swift movement.

Big mistake. Yusuke jerked back and caught her wrist, the blade coming within an inch of his face. He tightened his grip hard enough to make her drop the sword, which fell out of her fingers instantly.

She whimpered in pain and he let go. He kicked the weapon across the room, out of her reach. "You're not stubborn or anything." he grumbled.

Sweat trickled down her forehead as she stared at him in horror, wishing she could take back what she just did. She was out of options now. But she remained tight-lipped and told him nothing, putting her own safety in jeopardy.

Yusuke fought the urge to tug at his hair in frustration. "This is going nowhere..." He groaned, mellowing out his hostile facade. "Just tell me where she is and I'll leave your village alone ok? I don't have time to play games. I know you know what I'm talking about."

But the girl continued to peer at him without a word, those brown eyes trying to examine his motif. Unshed tears glittered on her lashes.

His expression turned cool. "What's your name?"

She moved her head back, startled. "Excuse me?"

"I said what's your name?"

"Why?" she snapped, suspicion laced in her voice.

"God I was just wondering." he scoffed. "Don't frikken overthink it!"

She bit her lip. "Keiko."

He nodded slowly. "Keiko huh? Well Keiko, let me ask _again._ Where's that ice woman? Lemme guess, she's laying low with the other villagers somewhere right? I'll flush them all out of their little hiding places if you don't tell me."

Her composure cracked as angry tears began rolling down her cheeks. "Shut up! I don't know! Please, I don't know..."

He stood suddenly. "Fine, then I'll find her myself. Thanks for nothing." He turned away from her and headed towards the doorway, wincing at the sharp pain in his side. Blood ran down his legs and started a crimson trail on the floor.

Keiko wiped the moisture from her eyes, desperation and worry slipping into her expression. She couldn't let him leave yet. She couldn't let him find the villagers. "Wait!"

Yusuke stopped, turning around to face her. "Change your mind?"

Keiko looked down at her feet. "Ah...you, um...you're bleeding, I can heal your wounds."

"What?" He narrowed his eyes, unable to hide the surprise in his voice. "Why the hell would you want to do that?"

Keiko drew herself up off the floor and walked over to a cabinet on the opposite wall. Yusuke crossed his arms, watching with mild curiosity. People generally didn't react with kindness when threatened. He knew she was up to something.

He expected her to pull out another weapon, but instead she brought out a handful of herbs and a roll of bandages. "This should stop the wound from getting infected." she stated simply. Her face was still lit with anxiety and anger, despite the calm of her voice. "And the herbs will stop the bleeding."

Yusuke scowled, realization slowly dawning on him. "Hold on, I know exactly what you're doing you little pain! You're stalling! How stupid do you think I am?"

Keiko bit her tongue, stopping herself from saying something nasty. "That's not it!"

"Yeah, right." He rolled his eyes. "You're such a bad liar."

Yusuke grunted in discomfort and plopped down onto the floor. "Heal my wounds then," he said, propping his elbow up on his knee in a nonchalant manner. "I know I said I was in a hurry, but this cut is really annoying. So go ahead."

It was strange, he acted almost...human, like Yukina did. But Yukina was no where near this irritating. "Fine."

She went over and sat down beside him, her heart racing at being so close again. He could reach out and easily snap off one her limbs at any moment. But it was a chance she had to take. Her loved ones would be in worse danger if her bravery failed her now.

"Try not to move for a sec." Keiko said as she pressed the herbs against the wound. It was a deep, long cut that ran from his lower back up to his ribcage. A scab was already beginning to form along his skin. "When did this happen?"

He shrugged. "Last night I guess."

An injury like that would surely kill a human, but his body was healing itself on it's own. She grimaced at the blood that ran in between her fingers and all over Shizuru's kimono.

Yusuke waited, his black hair tossed over one shoulder and out of her way. His muscles bunched and relaxed at her touch that brushed against his skin. He caught the light scent of Lavender. But she wasn't using Lavender was she?

Keiko leaned in and wrapped the thick bandages around his waist quickly, her fingers trembling. That long dark hair reminded her of a lions mane, and it tickled her hands when she touched his opposite side.

"What's your name?" she asked out of pure curiosity.

"Yusuke."

Funny, that sounded familiar. She shook her head, waving the thought away. Yusuke was a fairly common name.

A few moments passed as Keiko worked on his side. She concentrated on cleaning up the wound, trying to ignore the fact that she was touching a youkai. The reality of the situation sent shivers of alarm down her spine, and she only hoped stalling gave her friends time to prepare for an attack.

Yusuke directed his gaze away from her, staring straight ahead at the wall. Rays of the morning sun drifted through the doorway and onto the floor, lighting up the dull brown of the wood flooring. He still kept smelling the perfume of Lavender, adding to the dreamy quality of the atmosphere.

Which vanished when Keiko yanked roughly on the bandages.

"OW! Shit that's sore!"

She grinned triumphantly to herself as she tied the ends of the cloth, unable to stop the sarcasm from dripping into her voice. "Oh, I forgot. I'm sorry."

Yusuke leaned away and moved her hands off his side, pushing himself out of her reach. "I'm sure you are." he said, peering at her with a snarky grin on his face. "But thanks for the clean up."

Keiko stared at him in surprise. Did he just...? She hadn't expected a thank you from him. She really hadn't wanted to do this much interaction with him at all. "Sure." she grumbled. It was all for her friends. She hugged her arms to her side, trying to calm her nerves. She was in this situation for them.

He stood up from the floor and shook his head, moving his hair out of his face. He stretched lazily, testing the strength of the bandages. "Hey, do yourself a favor and get out of this place by tomorrow."

Keiko jerked her head up to look at him, his words churning a sinking sensation in her stomach "What?"

"Just trust me. Get out of here alright?"

_"Why?"_

He made a vague sound in the back of his throat. "Because. Things are gonna get dangerous. This coming from a youkai! So shut up and do it." He spun around to leave, but sent her once last glance over his shoulder. His dark brown gaze met her light brown one. "Sayonara."

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Shuichi raced through the empty village with the swiftness of a fox. His long crimson hair flailed out behind him as he searched for any sign of movement.

"Keiko!" he called, only to have his own voice echo back in a reply. "Keiko!" he yelled again. No use hiding his location, the youkai probably knew where he was. Even the lowest of them could smell a human and sense his aura from miles and miles away.

The redhead couldn't believe that Keiko would wander off like that. She knew how dangerous it was.

He cursed himself silently, biting his tongue in frustration. He couldn't be there to protect everyone. If only he were stronger...

At least the sun was up, and the lights shown over the mountains to guide his way. He clutched his weapon, not a sword, but a long winding whip covered in thorns. It could slice a boulder in half with no effort, making it a deadly defense against tough demon hide and bone.

He passed house after house until he came to his own. He stepped cautiously up to the walkway, but stopped immediately when he noticed something was off. The door was gone.

The wind ran past him, carrying the wave of power he had felt earlier. But it was much stronger now, or closer, and it sent ripples of energy through is body. He felt it, the forest animals felt it, and even the grass around tremored with it as they wilted in the breeze.

And the source of this energy walked out of Shuichi's own house.

He immediately bristled, eying the dark markings that ran across the stranger's arms and torso. He had matted black hair that cascaded down his back, framing a face that regarded him with mild interest. Most youkai didn't look like that, and Shuichi knew instantly what he was.

A variety of emotions moved in his stomach, but his expression gave away nothing. The stranger was a Mazoku, the sort of demon that devoured humans for food. And Keiko was an ideal meal for one; young, healthy, and defenseless.

Shuichi was far from weak even though he was human. He could send youkai running for cover with one crack of his rosewhip. He fought off numerous raid attempts, keeping the village one of the more populous areas in this region. But despite this, he wasn't sure if he could take on this breed of demon.

He fixed a stern gaze on the stranger, hostility shining behind those emerald green eyes. "Leave now and go back to whatever land you came from."

The Mazoku came closer, a hateful smile spreading across his face. Shuichi held up his whip, the string of thorns dangling down to the ground and brushing against his legs. "Keep your distance." he warned.

"Sorry, can't do that." he said, waving the threat away. "I'm on a mission here, so get out of my way."

Shuichi didn't move.

"Are you deaf or something? I said get lost!"

"I'm not going anywhere." Shuichi growled, his voice cold and laced with dangerous undertones. He felt the pulse of his energy leak out from his core. "And I can't let you go any further. I suggest you go back. You are not welcome here."

The youkai's expression changed when he truly looked at Shuichi, the way a warrior sizes up his opponent. His eyes darkened. "There's something...strange about you, but I can't figure it out."

Shuichi waited for his next move, straining all his senses in an attempt to understand his motive. The man's fists were raw and bruised, but his build wasn't all that tall or buff, and he carried no weapons. This was a bad sign; it meant he could do damage barehanded.

But Shuichi would fight if that's what it came down to. He was the only thing standing between this youkai and the villagers. "Leave." he said again. He noted the dark blood that stained the Mazoku's side. Where was Keiko?

The youkai shook his head. "As much as I'd love the fight you, 'cause I don't think you're a normal human..I can't right now. So get over it, whip-boy."

"Don't call me that."

He scowled. "Look, I don't want to argue with someone again. _You_ haven't seen an ice maiden around anywhere have you?"

Shuichi said nothing as he stood there with impatience, the wind moving the whip around him like a tail.

The man let out an annoyed sigh. "Didn't think so."

To the redhead's surprise, the stranger turned around, leaving his back unguarded and bare. He was either foolish or very confident that Shuichi wouldn't attack him. "I'm outta here." he said before he started off in the opposite direction.

Shuichi's shoulders sagged in relief. But he had to know one thing before it was over. The bandages on the youkai's side weren't bleeding, yet the stains on his legs and arms looked fresh. "Did you hurt a girl?"

His heart felt like a dead weight in his chest. But he had to know.

"No." he said, not bothering to turn around. The sense of conflict in the air dispersed completely, like it had never been there to begin with. "I didn't."

Shuichi thought over his answer warily. But despite his better logic, he believed him. It was baffling, but true.

He waited until he was out of sight before darting into the house, the floorboards squeaking loudly when he entered the room. "Keiko?"

She glanced up at him with surprise, eyes wide and lips quivering, but unharmed. "Shuichi? Thank god-" she stood up and launched at him with a hug, forcing him to drop his rosewhip. She began sputtering out excuses and apologies. "I'm sorry I ran off. I didn't mean to put you all in danger, and where is everyone? Are they alright? Listen, that youkai-"

"Relax," he smiled cooly, "no one's been hurt, and the youkai just left."

Her mouth fell open. "You ran into him?"

"Yeah."

She tugged on his arm. "No, no, he's after Yukina! We can't let him-"

"Wait, who's Yukina?"

Keiko bit her lip. "The ice maiden me and Botan rescued last night. But that's not important right now...he's looking for her, and she's in the cave with everyone else."

"Well we'd better get back there quickly." He paused, frowning. "Why are you covered in blood?"

She glanced down at her kimono, which had splotches of red across the front and sleeves. "Oh it's not my blood."

He gave her a confused look.

She shook her head. "I'll tell you on the way to the forest. There's alot of things I think you need to know, I think we're gonna be in some serious trouble."

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"How dare you, you little shit!"

The man charged at Hiei, barreling straight at him with the strength of a bull. His eyes were wide with fear and rage as he brought down a dull sword, aiming straight at his head. But Hiei stepped to the side, avoiding the attack with little effort. "Too slow."

The man crashed onto the floor.

Hiei glared down at him with cold apathy. Normally he would have finished him long ago, but the bastard had wanted a fight. "There's no way you can harm me. I suggest you give up now."

"I'm so sick of this, you demons, you can't do this forever!"

"That's where you're wrong." Hiei said calmly. "We can, and we will. The human race won't be around much longer when the new king comes to power. You should thank me for killing you fools when I did."

The man's dirty face twisted into anger as he pushed himself to a standing position. He was the village protector, he couldn't let the fire demon destroy everything he had loved. But he was failing. With arms built like tree trunks and head nearly touching the ceiling, he towered over Hiei both in weight and height. Yet he had no chance.

And Hiei was unafraid. "You're too stubborn for your own good."

He ended the man's life with one slash of his sword. That ugly liquid splashed out of the body like a reminder of an old tune heard over and over again.

He moved out of the house and into the village. Bright flames reached for the sky as they ground homes and lives into the dust. Soon there would be nothing left of the little village, save for the ghostly memories of those who had perished in an earthly hell. No one would remember them.

Yellow light reflected into Hiei's crimson eyes, which shone like rubies amongst the devastation. Burning embers surrounded his form, giving him the appearance of a dark deity, a fallen saint. The heat warmed his skin as he walked within the inferno.

Yukina was not here. But what else had he expected?

He took off his cloak and tossed it into the fire.

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I really don't like this chapter. I took me a long time to write even though it's shorter than the others, and the character motivation seems off. Hopefully I can redeem this next time. Because I can't stand this. At all.

Hiei's pretty mean isn't he? He's supposed to be that way though. XD I don't like fics that make him softer than he really is. He's an anti-social psychopath, not a cutesy boy. (He's also fun to write about because I enjoy writing violence, lol.)

So..Yusuke and Keiko finally met eh? They're not exactly romantics. I hate it when couples start making out even though they met like four seconds ago, like movies and stuff love to do. Lol! So I'm trying to avoid that too.

Enough of me ranting about what I don't like...thanks for reading! c:


	6. Your Fate in My Hands

_AN: So I've been working on this chapter off and on for the past few weeks, I didn't forget, promise! My time has been cut shorter thanks to general life stuff, I've been so busy lately. But I finally cracked down and finished this yesterday. xD_

_There's alot I have to say when I get to this point, yet I always forget_

_Oh yeah I went back and re-read the previous chapters, and I'm sorry they're so awful, it's abit embarrassing. xD I hope I've improved since then Though I'm too lazy to re-write anything right now, so I guess I'll continue to move forward. Thanks to those who are keeping up with this story, I'm writing this for you! _

_But I have a feeling it's going to get pretty long. We're on the fifth chapter and there hasn't been any real romance yet. This fic is gonna devour me yet. _

_Enjoy!_

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**_Chapter Five - Your Fate in My Hands _**

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"You're back!"

Shizuru pulled Keiko into a tight hug. Botan skipped over to them, her blue ponytail bobbing in excitement as she tried to fight back the tears that threatened to overflow onto her cheeks. "Keiko, you're getting so dangerous these days..." she laughed meekly. "What're we gonna do with you?"

Keiko sniffled, giving into the overpowering urge to cry. "I didn't think. I don't know, it was daylight, they usually wait until dark to come out, so I just thought..." She buried her head in Shizuru's shoulder, the touch vaguely reminding her of her parents when they were alive and able to console her. Memories of her mother's hugs dragged more sobs to the surface of her throat. "It was a mistake, I'm sorry."

Botan patted her on the back in an attempt to soothe the girl, her lips drawn downwards into a firm line. "It's alright." she whispered, her own voice slipping on a higher note. "We're just glad you're safe."

"Welcome back." Shiori said suddenly, looking at them with deep sincere eyes, the kind that could penetrate even the toughest of shells and mend the hurt beneath, no matter what the injuries.

Keiko wiped her slick lashes with the back of her index finger. "Thanks." she said, sending Shiori a grateful, if not slightly wilted smile. Her nerves were beyond shot and the only cure that could quell her fried emotions was a thick book of her favorite stories, which she had hidden under her pillow at home. If only they could return to the village soon and get out of this creaking cave...and go somewhere truly safe. But that was out of the question.

Yukina stood on the sidelines, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm happy Keiko-san is unharmed."

Kuwabara, the appointed protector of the flock of women, released the the tension out of his shoulders. He had grown up with the little brunette, and losing her would shove a hole right through his heart, like a pain he couldn't get out of his senses. He knew that feeling all to well, he'd already lost most of his family over the years. "Me too, I was getting really worried there for a while." Stray pieces of hair hung over his forehead and took on a deeper tone in the dull light.

Shuichi sauntered over to him, his previous footsteps unheard and undetected, appearing at the taller boys side like a crimson ghost. "Kuwabara, I need to speak with you."

He snapped his head to the right in surprise, letting out a startled cough and nearly jumping backwards into a puzzled Yukina. "Whoa man, don't sneak up on me like that!"

Shuichi flashed him an amused smile, his serious mood temporarily broken by his friends antics. "Sorry."

Kuwabara quickly apologized to the ice maiden. He swung around to scowl at Shuichi, no doubt embarrassed at being caught off guard. He hoped he would forget about it later. "What?" he mumbled. He didn't mean to be so pissy, but it was a long morning, and he had an inkling that it would just get worse as the hours dragged on.

"We ran into the demon."

"You did?" Kuwabara's eyes widened, his tired appearance suddenly perking up in interest. "Did you fight him?"

"Almost, but no. He had big black markings all over, and he acted...strange. He's not your typical youkai, that's for sure." Shuichi posed a finger at his chin, his eyes sharp and focused on distant, tangled thoughts. "He was hunting for someone..."

Kuwabara went silent and looked down at the ground. His sister had already filled him in on the adventure he missed out on when he had slept. He knew that Yukina had some sort of bounty placed on her pretty head. Thugs chased after her in the dead of night, just a petrified, innocent girl getting dragged down into their filth. They stole everything from her, even her tears. The mere thought of it made him sick.

And now they had found her. The threat was spreading to the village, like a violent epidemic unable to be contained. But what was he supposed to do? Protect her or the village? Surely there was someway to do both, right?

"It's me."

Both boys turned to the ice maiden, who was looking patiently up at them, her hands clasped together under her long kimono sleeves. "I told Keiko-san and Botan-san to leave me be, but they refused. They're incredibly kind, and I do appreciate the help, I just don't want their bravery to be rewarded with murder. All on my account."

She lowered her head in shame.

"So you do know these youkai?" Shuichi asked after a moment, his voice heavy and serious, letting her know that he didn't have time for games.

She took no offense to the warnings that lurked behind his tone, her figure stood still as a statue, only wisps of her blue hair quivering under the shadow of the cave. "No, but I positive I'm the one they're looking for. The men that held me captive surely noticed my absence by now and probably sent someone to find me."

Kuwabara's frown deepened as that sinking feeling returned to the pit of his stomach. "Well hold on, you can't go back, even if they are looking for you! That's not what you're thinking right?"

"Why should an entire village suffer because I'm being selfish?" she argued, clutching a fist to her chest. "I can go back and I can take it. The guilt from the loss of life would be worse than any physical pain they could give me."

Shuichi smiled at her. Of course he knew that not all youkai were corrupt, and this girl was living proof. But it still didn't mean they could trust her. "That's awfully noble of you." he said.

"You're not really gonna send her back?" Kuwabara pleaded, his hands groping for the right words in the air as he stared at Shuichi. "You can't be serious."

The redhead's expression didn't change. He looked out of the corners of his eyes at Yukina, who's ruby colored orbs were wide with questions that needed to be answered. Her fate rested in his hands. He could save her life or crush it with one decision.

Behind her carefully guarded expression lived the fear of being sent back into a world of torture and misery, loneliness. He could see it, he couldn't ignore the quiet trembling of her hands under that kimono, and it sent a wave of disgust through his body, causing his heart to sink in his chest. She was only a girl, she had the same the innocent face of the ones he was supposed to protect.

But that un-natural hair color and eyes the shade of a deep red wine reminded him that she wasn't human. Deception at it's best. He moved his gaze to the ground.

"What's with the grim looks?"

Shiori touched her son's arm, pressing her fingers against his skin to jar him from his thoughts. Mother's intuition naturally told her that something was wrong. He was a distant, complicated boy, but he always had a sense of lightness about him that was now gone. "Is something the matter?" she piqued, small eyes blinking in concern, her presence snapping him from his deep reverie. "Shuichi you look pale."

He turned to her and smiled, but the gesture was done half-heartedly and his lips lost their usual luster. "I'm fine mother, don't worry. Just tired."

She accepted his answer with an air of defeated concern. A pang of guilt resonated through him at disappointing her.

When he returned with the battered Keiko, Shiori had welcomed him back with open arms, no doubt caught in a spell of unease at the idea of him clashing weapons with some vicious youkai. It was his duty to fight any threat, but she continued to fret over the dangers he willingly threw himself into.

She did that all his life, and it was something he would never forget. It was...kindness, a virtue he learned only from her.

His shoulders slumped into a posture of defeat as he faced the calm Yukina, who was busy reassuring Kuwabara that she would be alright. "Listen." Shuichi said, catching their attention. They both peered at him with apprehensive eyes.

He cleared his throat. "You can stay, no use sending you out to the wolves. Just keep close to us and don't wander off like Keiko did today. We might've led them to our hiding place already, and we can't afford to make any more mistakes."

She tried to hide her relief by stopping herself from smiling, but her lips turned upwards anyway, and she ended up beaming at him in gratitude. "Thank you." she said in that same cheerfulness, with words as light as a hummingbirds wing.

But the cold creeped back into her expression. She reminded herself of why she was there in the first place, and what would happen if she stayed. She felt like she had some sort of curse stamped on her back that relentlessly followed her everywhere. "I can't though." She turned away. "I don't want to hurt anyone here. They're after me, not any of you."

"Don't be silly." Shiori fussed, catching onto the meaning of the conversation. "You can't go back there."

Kuwabara patted Yukina on the back with a grin plastered on his face, as if he was the only one let in on some joke or secret. Shuichi, the usually rigid guardian over the village rules, had just accepted her into the group, sealing her safety for the future. "You're not going anywhere, I'm not gonna let you."

Her eyes widened in a questioning stare and she took a step back. "You're all being foolish." she whispered.

Kuwabara shook his head, wondering where the girl connected her logic together, she was so damn determined to throw herself into the hands of the enemy, even after finally gaining freedom. How long had she been locked up in that place anyway? "Maybe," he chuckled, "but you're foolish for turning down someones offer to protect your life!"

Yukina blinked and titled her head to the side, perplexed and regarding his words. It was her turn to shrink in defeat, her lips poking outwards into something that resembled a pout. "Alright, you win, I guess." she said simply.

Shiori smiled, pleased at the outcome of the situation, while Shuichi leaned against the stone wall, green eyes staring holes into some distant corner of the cave.

He prayed he wasn't making a huge mistake.

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"Didn't find her, did you?"

Hiei's eyes flashed with vehemence at his question.

Yusuke leaned against the trunk of a tree, standing with the ease and grace. Rays of sunlight crept in between the canopy of leaves, sending dapples of light across his skin, contrasting with the grey shadow from the branches overhead. The tree's silhouette seemed to give him even more patterns, even more bizarre markings.

Hiei could tell that the Mazoku had been waiting awhile; that impatient scowl reflected the string of insults floating around in his head, ready to lash out at anyone in verbal injury. Yusuke hated waiting. He didn't have the attention span for it and he bored easily, like a bratty little kid.

Hiei's lips quirked into a sneer. "Do you see anyone with me?"

Yusuke's muscles tensed for half a second. He was already caught in a foul mood and ached to go off on the first person who decided to bitch at him. He had been chasing 'invisible', maybe even _imaginary_ ice maidens all morning and was sick of it.

But he dodged Hiei's sarcasm. The fire demon was cranky, as always, but the longer he picked at him the more the fire demon's tension built up. Eventually it would explode like an angry volcano and they'd have a vicious brawl on their hands. Yusuke had to remind him that even though they were partners on this wild goose chase, he wasn't one of Hiei's little minions. His Mazoku blood couldn't stand to be insubordinate to anyone. Especially someone half his size.

Yusuke fixed a concentrated stare on the youkai, putting total scrutiny on him as if he'd never seen him before.

His lips spread open into a devious grin. "Hey is your girlfriend taller than you?" he blurted, without thinking better of it, deliberately enticing the blunt end of Hiei's wrath. "I mean any shorter and she'd be a midget right?"

Hiei's expression switched from hostility to annoyance. "What?"

"Well it's just, y'know...I guess she'd have to like pint sized men, because.."

He visibly bristled. "Shut up you moron. She's not my girlfriend. She's my sister."

"Huh?" Yusuke blinked.

Hiei scoffed and turned his head away, facing the distant mountains. The sun finally rose out from the corner of the sky and dyed the clouds a deep maroon color, signaling the shift from morning to noon. The chirping cicadas sang their last goodbyes to the sunrise.

He hated that sound. Years before when he was alone, consumed by his back breaking training schedule, he was forced to listen to that horrible chirping the first few hours of the day. It broke the consistent quiet of the forest, usually interrupted only by deer or the occasional howling wind. But that chirping, that fast tick tick ticking sound reminded him of the constant drilling in his own heart. He was losing time.

But when the cicadas can't be heard and when the sun sinks down and changes the sky to a horizon of violet, he would move on. She had to be in the next village. He would find her. So Yusuke might as well know. "You heard me."

Yusuke's eyebrows shot halfway up his forehead. He watched the demon with a mix of caution and curiosity, wondering if this was some kind of test. "You serious?"

"We're going in tomorrow." Hiei said sharply, his back still turned to the confused Mazoku. "So call the demons out of the forest and get them ready so we can invade the closest village tonight. Did you find anything of interest?"

His question jerked at Yusuke's conscience like a invisible hand. Plundering a village never used to bother him, so what the hell? In the beginning they only raided a village when they were desperate. But somehow, over the months he'd traveled with Hiei, the attacks turned into weekly crimes, their demon underlings rushing in a killing whole towns in one swipe, staining the ground red. The corpses of their victims were starting to pile up on his mind, pulling it down.

But it wasn't like they were the only ones who did it. Youkai were growing desperate from the shortage of food, shortage of homes, and shortage of sane leaders. War after war had given death more numbers than him and Hiei ever could. It wasn't their fault! The humans were just an easy source of survival.

Yusuke rubbed his dirty cheek with the back of his hand. He frowned when he noticed the clean bandage wound carefully up his side.

His guilt seemed to reach a crescendo.

But his words moved against it, though he nearly choked trying to get them out. "Yeah, I did, actually."

To his surprise, Hiei didn't bombard him with a million questions. Instead, he simply shrugged and repeated his orders. "Good."

The Mazoku didn't follow anyone. But today was different. Hiei's tone was unusually shaky, as if he were too furious to speak and attempting to try would shatter the last control he had on himself. Yusuke was not filled with boundless intuition by any means, but he could sense the unbalanced, almost sad aura around his friend.

So he didn't say anything.

And he couldn't get past his disbelief. That crazy bastard had a _sister?!_

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"Koenma sir, I'm telling you, she hasn't killed anybody!"

Botan crouched at the lake's edge, peering down into the clear water. She leaned over on her tip toes to get a better look, careful not to lose balance and fall, which would disturb the mirror-like surface, blue and serene as a crystal. The weeds rose up on all sides and tickled her legs. "Listen to me!" she persisted, careening her neck farther out to see better. "I know it still sounds weird, but I really don't think she's some crazy human killer."

The magic of Spirit World was what enabled Koenma's image to stare back at her from the lake. Communicating with someone so far away was difficult, his voice was fuzzy and his image was blurred despite the glass-like quality of the water. But she could still imagine the deep line that hung over his brow, a sign that he was upset.

"That doesn't make a difference!" he wailed, his voice sounding too high and too young for his teenage appearance. "She's still the cause of it! Botan you've got to do something!"

She drew back. How could he blame her for this!? "What am I supposed to do?" she said as harshly as she could while still maintaining a whisper. She didn't want any nosy passerby to overhear her and let the secret out about her double identity. Or worse, she didn't want anyone to think that she was going crazy, talking to the pond like this. Someone might think she was arguing with a fish. "I'm just following your orders! Maybe you don't know what you're doing? I think that's-"

"Well the thieves are still after her, so that makes her a threat! Isolate her from the village before a handful of lives are lost. Those demons will track her down and find her, and then-"

Botan sighed. "And then we'll see who the threat is."

"Exactly."

She knew right away that she couldn't do something like that. Koenma wasn't there beside her, he didn't talk to the girl or witness how much pain she was in. Did he see the scars that marred her skin? He wasn't around when she and Shizuru had to wrap bandages around Yukina's burn wounds, which still looked dark and raw against her silvery complexion.

Botan had never seen a burn injury like that. Certain sutra, ones that could go right through the flesh of ice youkai, had been cruelly pressed against her arms and legs. Shoving fire into a pile of snow had the same effect.

Yet Yukina treated her abuses like they were nothing to her at all.

_"The marks do hurt, but at least they left my face alone. If my face became too badly scarred then I'd be unrecognizable to someone..."_

It was an odd comment. But she was an odd girl.

She wasn't about to throw her out into danger. Shuichi only just decided she could stay!

"What're you doing?"

Keiko leaned over out curiosity, wondering what her slightly squirly friend was up to. Her thick chestnut colored hair was tossed up in a short, messy bun, and the strands tickled Botan's shoulder as she moved closer to get a better look.

"Oh uh hi Keiko!" Botan tapped the water quickly, dispersing the Koenma's image. "I was just...um..washing my hands and singing! It's fun, you should try it sometime, aha..."

She cocked an eyebrow. "You don't usually sing..."

The uneasy smile started to hurt her cheeks. Botan was never good at lying...or hiding things. Why did Koenma choose her for this job anyway? Maybe she should try diversion tactics. "Oh you look so lovely today Keiko, you should wear your hair like that most often!"

Keiko twirled a lock around her finger, catching the brown highlights in the sun. "Thanks, but I don't think so, I just put it up because it was driving me crazy. This weather makes it dry."

"Oh yeah, that happens to mine." Botan said, as she stood suddenly and began pushing Keiko away from the water. Koenma might return and yell at her for hanging up on their conversation. He was a nice person, but he was still the mighty lord Koenma, prince of Spirit World, and titles like that were why he had an ego bigger than his father's fat head. "But don't you worry, you're so pretty that even if all your hair fell out you'd still be gorgeous."

Keiko made a funny face. "What?"

Botan dragged the girl back to the cave as she blabbed about anything, trying to guard her secret. One hint about what was going on and the clever girl would figure it all out in no time.

Though she wished she could tell her best friend everything; Keiko would know what to do, and Botan's problems would be solved.

But that wasn't the case, and she was lost.

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"..."

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_Aha I love Botan. x3  
_

_Please keep in mind that I don't have a Beta reader, so even though I try to edit mistakes I'm sure there are some in there. I'm currently looking for an editor to get the problem solved soon._

_I'm not terribly pleased with this chapter, but it's not too awful I hope. I'm still trying to work on my writing style, I'm a novice_

_You know what I'm going to say(well, if you read these notes). Thanks for reading._

_:3_


	7. Battlecry

_AN: Most of the readers for this fic have probably given up on it, understandably. Even though this story is old I still think it's worth saving and given a proper ending. There isn't much left, only two or more chapters to go. So sorry for the long hiatus! I'm not sure when I can consistently update this but I won't give up on it, and despite my offline activities I'll continue to work on it. My life isn't that busy, lol. Also I'm thinking about upping the rating for the romance. There won't be any lemons, but lately I like to write the heavier stuff and that will probably leak into this story, if nobody minds. My writing style(if I have a style), probably doesn't match all the previous chapters due to the time in between(plus I've been writing other things), but I hope everyone still enjoys it! Critique is appreciated, I know I have much more to work on._

_This chapter is where all the major action starts. _

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_**Chapter Six - Battlecry**_

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Yukina couldn't possibly be youkai borne. Keiko wrapped an arm around the girl's small frame as the ice maiden let loose sob after sob, her tears crystallizing into tiny blue pearls. The gems hit the cavern floor with a soft clink. Keiko regarded her new friend with a mix of sympathy and confusion. The youkai girl's cries sounded just as normal any scared human female. With the exception of the jewels she made, and her odd coloring, one would never know the difference. Her heart bled and her body trembled like that of a non-supernatural person. Like any girl who felt remorse over the death of others.

Keiko pictured an ice demon as a cold hearted woman, a succubus, someone who froze mortals to death with their frosted grip. A chill so cold it burned. She could never imagine Yukina's face on that persona.

But Keiko had never known of a 'good' demon. Never. The monsters took her parents, friends, and disappeared into the wilderness where no bodies could ever be recovered. Entire families went up in smoke. Can some monsters really be harmless? Yukina seemed to be the answer to that question.

Her thoughts aside, she prepared for the worst. Everyone took turns comforting one another, when one friend collapsed into a pit of doubt, another would act as a beacon of hope. But truthfully they were all weak and human.

Yukina's tears stopped and her voice hardened under her sniffling demeanor. "I sense a strong energy headed this way. Something big is coming. "

The tension spread through the air like a disease.

Shuichi had been hunched down against a rock, arms over his knees. He raised his head up from hands, green eyes narrowing in the darkness. "I think so too."

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Their small army from hell descended from the mountains and ransacked the empty village. The violet dawn illuminated swords held by scaled and furry hands. The smell of metal mixed with the musk of sweaty bodies as the demons tore houses apart. Broken wood littered the ground as the demons stepped on the remains of people's homes, people's lives. Noses sniffed the air for scents of human flesh. But no mortal cries echoed the growls of the youkai this time. As time continued forward, they turned sights on the forest, the trees still dark with the dwindled light of morning.

Hiei's jagan eye shined bright with knowledge and anticipated bloodshed. "Finally." he whispered. His black hair framed his face, his sword unsheathed at his side.

Yusuke sent him an uncomfortable look, his thick brows tensed across his forehead. His expression cooled ten degrees. "So today's the day, huh?"

Hiei either ignored him or pretended not to hear, his own gaze clouded by the hot coals of hatred. The menagerie thundered behind the two head youkai. Birds flew off into the sky with panicked cries and the forest animals darted out of their way. An aura of impatience wafted from the troop, their hopes of battle finally in sight when they found a little isolated cave in the back of the woods.

Yusuke touched the bandages at his side. He hoped that girl Keiko had heeded his warning.

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The village men lined the cave's entrance in a thick wall of bodies and scythes. Some villager's feet trembled beneath them but they all possessed determination in their eyes. No armor but their shaggy clothes protected their human skin. The heartfelt goodbyes of their wives, sisters, and daughters chanted rhythms in their heads. Visions of slaughtered loved ones fueled their anger. Protect your own at all costs.

Shuichi positioned himself at the frontline of the group. His long hair whipped about his face like streaks of blood, his weapon of thorns in his hands. The whip trailed down to his side, it's spiked end slung behind him in the dirt. His keen eyes peered forwards without an ounce of fear.

Keiko and Botan peeked out from behind a rock, near the last row of men. They dared not utter a sound.

The brunette wondered why she threw herself into the mouth of danger like this. She glanced at the girl beside her, and instantly figured it out. Oh yeah. _Botan._ She gave her friend a flat look.

Botan uttered a silent '_what?_'

Keiko worried for the safety of their friends as much as anyone else, but there was little she could do. All her life she had been protected, not the protector.

She clutched the hilt of her katana. But if death was her fate than so be it, for the sake of those she loved, she would go out swinging and with honor. She had relatives who had perished in a conflict with demons and maybe they would be the first to greet her in heaven.

_But are all youkai evil?_

"Go back from where you came!" Shuichi's voice split the silence like a firecracker. "You aren't welcome here and whatever you want, we don't have it!"

Keiko chewed on her fingernails. She met Botan's fearful gaze. The blue haired girl gripped her weapon, a blunt metal stick, until her knuckles turned white. The army of villager's blocked their view to the frontlines, but they could hear the heavy footfalls of the enemy. The demons bandits grunted and growled like beasts. Nervous butterflies ate away at Keiko's stomach.

At least the others were hidden in the depths of the cavern and Kuwabara would guard everyone with his life. Keiko still heard Shuichi further away. She could picture him at the lead, a general to a band of untrained men with only bravery to believe in. His well-mannered tone had shifted to a voice of command she could barely recognize.

A darker voice yelled back with equal threats of violence.

Botan clutched her hand as they both braced themselves for the impact.

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Hiei leered at his opponent, his narrow, crimson colored eyes full of malice. Shuichi's own gaze reflected a composed, calculated mind. They exchanged a silent measure of force, Hiei's aura pulsed with a dark power while Shuichi's strength flowed out from the depths of his veins. The redhead was surprised at this aggressor's shorter height, but he knew the man replaced it with a plethora of power. His demon underlings seemed to shrink from him, as if the warrior's heated demeanor would melt their flesh. Each individual army rustled behind their leader, the demons snarling with anticipation while the humans brandished their weapons. Hiei and Shuichi stood as the last barriers between the groups.

Another youkai lurked off to the left side of the leader. His matted black hair hung down to his ankles like an overgrown lion's mane, and he watched the scene with an air of interest. Shuichi recognized him to be the Mazoku from earlier.

Sweat trickled down his brow. Shuichi avoided conflict with him before, but he wasn't sure he could do it again. Power leaked from the demon, and though it didn't flare up like his friends did, it emitted a dangerous tone. It was oceans of power packed into one solid being, like a bomb waiting to explode.

But he didn't seem tensed for battle. The other demon was the one who glared at the humans as if they were walls that blocked his way to some mysterious goal.

Hiei pointed his katana at Shuichi, it's tip aimed towards his throat. The sword glinted in the sun. "Your humans stole something from me, and I'll kill every last one of you until it's returned."

Shuichi stepped forward. "You only think you will." He held his rose whip in both hands, fingers poised between the thorns. "And these people aren't 'mine.' I'm human also. But I'm far from weak so prepare yourself."

The fire demon scowled. "You're more than you appear to be, fox. I've heard of you, and I can't be mistaken. You're the legendary Kurama."

Shuichi's eyes widened. "What makes you so sure?"

Further off on the sidelines, Yusuke's expression brightened at the revelation.

"Your weapon." Hiei said. "Nobody else uses something so unique."

Shuichi/Kurama smiled, though his jaw muscles were jumping. "So I've been found out. But you're not scared of me, are you?"

Hiei scoffed. "You're merely an exaggerated tale. You're a wolf in sheep's clothing, but that's all." Dark shadows crossed his face. "You disgust me, taking the side of the weak mortals. And just like any human peasant, I'll slaughter you."

The demons roared behind him.

Kurama jerked his whip, and it seemed to slice the air with a loud crack. "Fine. As I said, you can try."

In a blur of a moment, the signals were given and both sides charged forwards into the conflict. They collided with the intent to kill. The ground trembled with the weight of anger in the atmosphere. Demons swung their razored claws and tossed humans into rocks and trees. Larger youkai bulldozed over humans like they were weeds to be crushed underfoot. The villagers loped off the heads of demons with their swords. Both sides screamed in pain and desperation.

Hiei darted around Kurama like a dark ghost. It was as if he could alter the molecules in the air and jump from space to space, though Kurama knew the demon had a solid body. He couldn't blink and was forced to use his eyes as well as his other senses to keep track with his opponent.

Hiei swung his sword. Kurama caught the blade with his whip at the last second. Despite his blocked attack, Hiei pressed forward. The whip began to crack. "Fight as hard as you want," he spat, "as long as my ally lives, the human race is doomed."

Kurama grunted with the effort to hold his weapon against the sword. He was wide open to attack if he moved. He dug his heels into the dirt. What ally? The Mazoku?

He swung a kick at the demon but Hiei jerked backwards before the impact. "Give me back the ice maiden!"

"No!" Kurama put his body weight into the swing of the rosewhip.

And missed.

Hiei closed the distance and slashed Kurama's body from his shoulder to his waist.

A solid line of blood spurted from his torso.

**xxxxxxx  
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xx**

Keiko realized the depth of their mistake.

Despite the rock that shielded the two girls from view, the enemy detected their human scent. Keiko and Botan's frantic heartbeat revealed their location, and their labored breathing expressed their fear. Like two sheep caught in a fight between a pack of wolves, if escape eluded them, they were to be devoured by demons.

Their surroundings erupted into a sudden hell as weapons clashed with claws, and dark liquids stained the ground at their feet. Thick violet clouds overcame the sky and Keiko could no longer see the sun. The shrill cries of the villagers rang in her ears. She lost sight of Shuichi minutes ago.

Keiko regretted her error the moment chaos broke loose from all sides. Blood splattered against her kimono.

Botan clung to her friend, her wide eyes mimicking Keiko's own look of terror. "What can we do?" the brunette whispered. Botan's weapon trembled in her hands. "Should we fight?"

A loud thud hit the side of the rock. Keiko's heartbeat stopped for a sliver of a second.

Both girls looked up into the gaze of a horned youkai, crouched on the top of the boulder. It glowered at them, it's blue skin filled with scales and it's yellow eyes filled with malice. It's clawed feet scraped against the stone. Botan's hand flew to her mouth and suppressed a scream.

The demon's glare broke out into a hateful smile, as if the situation was funny. As if all this bloodshed and violence was one big joke. A joke on the humans.

Rage bubbled to the surface as Keiko aimed the tip of her katana at the demon's ankle. She would not be made this monsters prey. She wouldn't go down without a fight.

The sound of her racing heartbeat drowned out all background noise. Her shoulder's stiffened as thoughts rapidly passed through her head. The youkai's armored body glimmered in the dull light, like crocodile skin. What if her sword failed to cut it?

She swung the blade with all the force her untrained body possessed. The demon yelped as it's foot was severed from it's leg, and it fell backwards off the rock and crashed onto the cavern floor. Black slush jetted out from the youkai's hide.

Keiko's lips moved, but only noises came out. Botan lurched sideways to avoid the blood.

Fury crossed the demon's face despite the pain. It's nostrils flared and it's pupils shrank into tiny black slits. "Bitch!" It hissed. "You're dead!"

Terror replaced her anger instantly. Fear was caught in her throat and it choked her, paralyzing her body at the spot. Her feet felt like iron bricks. "Keiko!" Botan shrieked. Keiko thrusted her sword forwards. The youkai dove for her, but the demon lost it's balance and impaled itself on her blade.

It's body stained the sword with dark liquid, the demons mouth wide open in a last cry of pain. Keiko dropped her katana as if it was cursed.

Her legs trembled and she felt her stomach churn in her belly. She was about to get sick. She looked over her shoulder and glanced at Botan, who stared back with a petrified expression. "Stay here!"

Logic left her, and she bolted.

Botan yelled her name, but she sprinted forward as fast as her legs could move. She need to get away. Get away from what just happened. She felt the monster's blood drip down her calf. She couldn't do this. Her head pounded and she felt the flare of adrenaline in her veins. She prayed Botan wouldn't follow her footsteps.

She tried to push through a pack of demons, but one grabbed her arm and yanked her backwards. The momentum forced her to the ground, and she landed on her back with a loud thud. Pain shot up her spine from the impact.

"A woman!" They howled. "A human woman!"

Keiko's vision drifted in and out. She couldn't see the source of the voices. She fought the urge to pass out as the side of her face lay pressed in the dirt. Her eyelids fluttered and opened but all she could see was black. The earth pounded with vibrations from so many bodies on the battlefield.

She felt hands creep up her legs. Something sharp tore her clothing, and her kimono was shredded with a loup rip. The warm air hit her exposed flesh like a slap in the face. A dull noise roared in her ears. She smelled the musk of demons near her skin.

All at once, she regained control of her limbs. She flailed and kicked and screamed as loud as she could. Her foot made contact with somebody's jaw.

But she was crushed under the weight of so many hands. They pinned her to the ground. She can't pass out. She knew she couldn't pass out. Another scream burst from her throat. Her eyes filled with hot tears.

And then she heard a dull crack and a thud. A fist clipped the side of a demon's face and broke bone.

The weight was lifted off her limbs and chest. She felt the footsteps of the fleeing youkai.

And Keiko was picked up off the ground by a pair of strong hands. The fingertips lacked scales or horns. Another human. She lay in the stranger's arms like a broken rag doll and succumbed to the haze of unconsciousness.

**xxxxxxx  
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End file.
